Celebrating small businesses around the world

Pamela Vallarta has always had a creative streak, and she’s also loved cooking ever since she was a little girl. When she bakes a cake, she combines the two to make something of equal parts delicious and cool. 'I started in my parents’ kitchen, as a hobby,' she says. Now, her side business has turned into Pasteles Increibles, a full-fledged business in Mexico City, Mexico — and Pamela isn’t the only one with a vision of turning her passion into her work.

Jasmine grew up always wanting to be an artist, but didn’t know how to make a living doing it until she discovered tattooing. However, as a genderqueer, trans person of colour, Jasmine was treated differently in tattoo shops – so they decided to open their own: Spirited Tattooing Coalition, an inclusive tattoo shop in Philadelphia. 'This is our safe space on our block,' says one customer. These types of connections between small businesses and the community can take many forms, and the data bears this out. In the United States, Search interest for 'small business donations' increased by 20% in 2018.

When the markets crashed in 2008, Jenny Doan and her husband lost more than their retirement – they began to lose hope Their two children wanted to help, so knowing Jenny was an avid quilter, they bought her an old auto showroom in their hometown of Hamilton, Missouri. Soon after, Missouri Star Quilt Company was born. What started as a one woman shop in a town of less than 2,000 now employs over 200 people, and is the world’s largest provider of pre-cut quilting fabric. But even more importantly, the town of Hamilton has been revitalized. There are over 14 quilt shops, 3 restaurants and a hotel in town, and over 100,000 people visit every year. 'My whole life I’ve always wanted to own a business, and none of that would be possible without Missouri Star Quilt Company,' says the owner of J’s Burger Dive.