Today we’d like to introduce you to Trisha Sorenson.
Hi Trisha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started making macarons out of my home just for fun about 5 years ago. It slowly turned into a little home bakery business and I was making hundreds of macarons a week. It got to a point where I needed to make some changes and grow in order to keep up with demand. I had always wanted a bakery but knew that in a small town like Vernal – a bakery just for macarons would not be sustainable.
I looked around at other home bakers and makers in my city and began conversations with them – it seemed like they were facing similar issues. As homemakers and bakers, you have people come to your home to pick up items, or you deliver those items. An idea started to form – what if there was a place where these small businesses could have a storefront? I continued talking to others – soap makers, home bakers, charcuterie board makers and so many more. There was a small business speed pitch competition hosted by the County.
I decided to pitch my idea of an indoor farmers market and consignment bakery. I gathered samples from other small businesses and pitched my idea. I ended up winning $12,000 to start my business. I secured a space in the downtown district of Vernal right at the heart of the city and got to work. We started with 16 vendors renting booth space in the market. That has grown to over 40 vendors.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. As we got going one thing I knew was a necessity was the need for a commercial kitchen in the space so I could make my macarons and other bakers that were not cottage licensed with the state could have a space to create their items to sell in the market as well. Going through that process was hard as each inspection brought new items to fix.
We finally got that taken care of and opened our doors only to deal with issues with cooling the store in the hot summer months, heating the store in the cold winter months, and constant roof leaks. Thankfully, the owner of the building has been incredible and willing to fix whatever needed fixed and we have continued on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a creator and I have been creating for as long as I can remember. My macarons set me apart as they are not easy to master. I love finding unique flavor combinations and playing with color palettes. I love teaching as well and have done many classes where I teach the process for macaron making to others.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love connecting with others. In fact, that is the main driving force behind the market. On our wall, we have the definition of community: a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
To me, that is what it’s all about – people and the relationships that are created. I love the community that I live in. I love the opportunities that are created for people to come together and I wanted to add to that.
Contact Info:
- Email: marketonmain.vernal@gmail.com
- Instagram: @marketonmainvernal
- Facebook: @marketonmainvernal
