On Saturday, the local community dropped by the Pixley Memorial building to attend the first annual Pixley Bazaar consisting of information and business booths. The event was hosted by the Pixley Chamber of Commerce and the Great Valley Center in Partnership with U.C. Merced. Sponsors included the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber, the Central California Small Business Development Center, the Pixley-Connect Project, CSET, and the Tulare Adult School.
“This being the Pixley Chamber's first event of this nature, we feel it was a great success. We had about 20 businesses that participated and approximately 100 guests were registered in attendance. We hope to continue this as a yearly event. Once again we would like to thank all the Business for taking the time to participate and all the community members for attending”, said Jennifer Blevins, Pixley Chamber of Commerce Office Manager.
Local vendors on hand to share their success stories included Letty’s Pizza who started as a small “Pizza on Wheels” and expanded to a walk in store front in downtown Pixley. Special guests included Mr. Carlos Mendoza, District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration, Diane Howerton, Regional Director of the California SBDC UC Merced Regional Network covering 15 counties, and David H. Hosley, Ph.D., President of the Great Valley Center.
“Saturday was a festive and productive time because it brought together community leaders, entrepreneurs, small business owners and families to share interests and ideas. It was wonderful to see the positive spirit of everyone who exhibited and those that attended. This energy and enthusiasm shows that the community of Pixley is vibrant and positioned for economic growth and opportunity,”said Howerton.