We had the good fortune of connecting with Mercedes Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mercedes, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
The SoCo Market was created to highlight small businesses and give them a platform to connect and meet customers within our community. While our main focus was to support small businesses, the market also made a social impact on our community. The SoCo Market became a place where our community was able to come together to enjoy each others company, eat good food, and shop local. It’s amazing to watch the small businesses grow after attending the markets and creating long term relationships with customers.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The SoCo Market was created to highlight small businesses in Sonoma County. During the pandemic, a wave of new businesses were born and I wanted to create a platform that would highlight them and give them an opportunity to connect with their customers in person. This concept was new to our community at the time and I was unsure if people would attend the market. I invited 11 small businesses that I knew, to be a part of our first outdoor market. The attendance was overwhelming in the best way! It was an amazing experience to watch the community and small businesses come together as one. Our markets now host up to 80 vendors with 200 applicants for every event!

The market grew rapidly making it difficult for me to keep up since I wore all the hats for the business. I was able to overcome that by putting together a team! One thing I learned, is that in order to grow, you need a team. The SoCo Market was created to unite small businesses. It doesn’t matter if you are in the same industry or even selling the same product. It’s about putting an end to that division, coming together and supporting one another.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Here’s what a day with my friend would look like in Sonoma County: We would get breakfast at Cafe Mimosa, go to a local boutique called Bow N Arrow Clothing in the downtown area for some shopping, grab a coffee at Land + Water, then finish with dinner at Jacksons Bar and Grill.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
From the beginning of my business/entrepreneur journey, Working Solutions has been there to support me! Working Solutions is a micro-lending company supporting small businesses in the Bay Area. I was just 20 years old when I decided to turn my dream in to a reality and they were there to support me from the start up stages to now. I truly appreciate their passion for small businesses and their dedication does not go unnoticed!

Website: www.thesocomarket.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesocomarket/?hl=en

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.