As the community emerges from the pandemic, summer pop-ups are helping vendors boost sales.

Rare Earth Coffee in Clovis is hosting an event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring local food and custom merchandise.

“It is an event where we’re trying to highlight a bunch of small local businesses and vendors,” said Trevor Beal, president of Rare Earth Coffee. 

There are 19 vendors coming out – food and custom merchandise like candles, jewelry makers and plant vendors. The event is at capacity for vendors. 

It will be set up at the roastery warehouse facility in Clovis, and Rare Earth will be brewing and roasting coffee during the event. The coffee business is still promoting its Ethiopian Reserve Roast that shares proceeds with United Cerebral Palsy of Central California.

“We’re finally getting back to the reopening of the world and we wanted to give people an opportunity to come interact with us as a small business and others who really need the help right now,” Beal said.

He plans to host events like this every other month. 

“The goal is we want to use our facility to help spread community benefit and support for everybody that is just being able to get back into the regular swing of things as the pandemic winds down,” Beal said.

It’s In The Mix, a bake-to-order sweets business, will be out among vendors tomorrow selling baked goods. It’s In The Mix is most famous for cinnamon rolls, but Barberich has always meant to expand the business to a multitude of baked goods.

They really come fresh out of the oven,” said Alice Barberich, owner of It’s In The Mix.

The baked goods shop is a home-based business in Clovis, and operates as a dessert delivery service. It opened January 2020, just months before food delivery services skyrocketed.

“Once the pandemic hit, we had a big surge in growth due to the shutdowns,” said Barberich.

At first, she operated by social media and word of mouth. It was a hobby that dated back to growing up with a mother who was a home economics teacher. Today, Barberich still leans on her family members to come up with new recipes for baked goods. 

“Our business tripled pretty quickly,” she said. 

Delivery-based food services like It’s In The Mix did exceptionally well during the pandemic due to the closed economy. But now as the economy reopens, Barberich said it’s harder to keep a profitable business strictly based on delivery. 

Every Friday and Saturday night Barberich brings her business out to Crow and Wolf Brewery in Clovis, and she’s been selling her cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats inside Johnny Quik Food Stores at Rare Earth Coffee’s coffee bar.

“We need to be where the people are,” Barberich said.

For a time Barberich said the business lost some sales as people were out of the house more often, but she is starting to see an increase since It’s In The Mix has attended more events.

“We just know it’s really important for us to be out in the community right now,” she said. 

It’s In The Mix operates Tuesday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will soon have its own commercial location to serve a greater range of Fresno and Clovis.