Meet Brittany Baca | Serial Entrepreneur, Barista & Candle Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brittany Baca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We live in a really small town in Southeast Colorado where you often come across people with a strange belief that there isn’t anything much of value here. You hear talk growing up like the local economy is collapsing, you’ll need to move away after high school to find opportunities, it’s a bad place to start a business because there isn’t enough local money to keep it open, etc. My husband and I disagreed and we started our first business in 2010. Now have three businesses and four commercial rental properties that we have used over the years to provide affordable spaces for other new businesses to open. My goals with our businesses have always stemmed from my love of the history of my hometown and my desire to build a better future here for my children. Before I was a business owner I was a mom, and my kids are always my first priority. I don’t ever want them to feel they can’t be successful without moving to a larger city, or that they can’t accomplish anything they set out to right here and right now. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I could never make a living selling “just coffee” I could turn my 10+ years profitable business into a chain and open a few more locations. Rocky Ford is a beautiful place to live and a great place to not only start a business but keep it going. I want my life to be a model of that to my kids to show them it’s not just possible but it’s fun, too.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My newest business, a retail gift shop Elm Avenue Collective, will be one year old this February. Opening this store has been quite a journey and I’m excited to see where it takes me in 2023. I started making candles at home in my kitchen in 2021 and selling them in my coffee shop. I was selling out faster than I could make them and in a few months time one of our rental spaces opened up and I decided to jump on the opportunity to have my own space. Over the last year my little shop has grown from just the candles, jewelry & knitted things I make myself to include a range of items from other local makers, moms, and small businesses around Colorado and a few neighboring states. Our community now has a place to shop in person for eco-friendly items, locally made cleaning & personal care products, handmade apparel & home goods, etc. My favorite things I carry in the store are pregnancy, postpartum & baby items I’ve found and loved over the years in raising my six children.

When I first opened in 2022 it was tricky finding time and money (and energy) to work on the space because I had a 5 month old, and 5 older kids that I homeschool. We pulled together and made it work and I’m so glad that we did. The business was taking less of my time once we were open and things were running smoothly, but as the year went on I found myself working more and more often. I had a massive increase in wholesale accounts for my handmade candles over the summer and into fall and I was making candles late into the night more often than not and I was really missing being at home with my babies. So just after Christmas my husband and I got to work renovating the attached garage at our house so that I can make even more candles in even less time and without having to leave home. I have some big goals for expansion in 2023 and am especially excited to expand my wholesale partnerships and products.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a major homebody and I don’t go anywhere unless I need to. Most days I am at home by my fireplace with a candle lit, baby in my lap and a book in one hand, coffee in the other. So if you catch me out and about I’ll be at The Coffea Shop getting my usual latte, at Knapp’s Farm Market looking for Colorado peaches and peaches and cream corn, picking up raw honey and beeswax from the Hidden Hive, getting my hair cut by Andie at The Refinery Salon, or Fridays and Saturdays at Elm Avenue Collective telling everyone who comes in all about the great local products from local mamas and makers.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first retail business was my coffee shop on Main Street. I worked there for two years before I purchased it from Shay, one of my favorite humans. She started a coffee shop with her life-long dream and life savings and really cemented for me my belief that our small town is capable of so much more than we often credit it with. Her story inspired us to open savings accounts for our children where they keep half of every dollar they’ve ever earned or been given from birth to help them accomplish the goals they set out for their lives. Her coffee shop, Love Mug, has since re-opened in Pueblo and if you haven’t been there yet, go now.

Website: elmavenuecollective.com

Instagram: @elmavenuecollective

Facebook: Facebook.com/ElmAvenueCollective