GLENDALE, AZ — A pair of Glendale small business owners are hoping to create a space to help other local businesses grow in the Valley.
Erica Jarido and Jacque Thomas started Retail Therapy about six months ago. Originally, it was a clothing boutique.
"But we realized that our passion was not clothing and product, our passion was the connections that we were making with people," said Jarido.
They made a change to help other small businesses grow and started running small community markets around the Valley.
In October, they asked the City of Glendale for more space to bring in more vendors. That's how they started The Sunset Shop.
"Now we are hosting our market every single Sunday at O'Neil Park. We host 100 vendors and food trucks. We bring in live music, we do family talent shows, it's just been unbelievable," said Jarido.
She said they work with all kinds of vendors, including women and minority-owned businesses.
"Literally anything you can think up."
It's been so successful, they're expanding again, working to open a Support Local AZ Boutique, which will give 40 vendors a permanent space.
"We have a local Arizona health and beauty section, a local fashion, apparel, accessories section, for local artists," explained Jarido.
Jarido, a teacher, said she and Thomas will make this their new full-time job. She hopes their dream of having a storefront can help other business owners reach theirs.
"A bunch of small businesses to join together to make this possible, and collaborating and building off of each other, I think it's going to expand for so many just truly give an opportunity that they may not have had on their own," she said.
The boutique will be in historic Glendale and should open this summer.
Jarido and Thomas have created a GoFundMe to help cover costs.
