Weddings are big business in NCW due to abundant sunny days,gorgeous vineyards and plenty of outdoor beauty setting the backdrop. The entrepreneurial spirit has hit thewedding and event industry in North Central Washington with a bang, and theowners of the 6 new businesses mentioned in this post are pleasantly surprisedjust how well their businesses have been received. I talked with the owners to learn more abouttheir business and what made them want to take the plunge and go for it.
Weddings are big business in NCW due to abundant sunny days, gorgeous vineyards and plenty of outdoor beauty setting the backdrop. The entrepreneurial spirit has hit the wedding and event industry in North Central Washington with a bang, and the owners of the 6 new businesses mentioned in this post are pleasantly surprised just how well their businesses have been received. I talked with the owners to learn more about their business and what made them want to take the plunge and go for it.
Four things they all had in common: 1) They recognized a need in their niche. 2) To have flexible schedule for theirfamilies. 3) An undeniable desire tomake it happen. 4) Every one of thesebusinesses are local natives raised in the Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Brewstercommunities.
These unique businesses stood out to me and I think you need to know who they are and help spread the word. So brides, wedding planners, florists, venues……put these businesses on your radar!
Self-taught, award-winning cinematographer, life-enthusiast,and family man, Oly Mingo, has earned a reputation of being a talentedphotographer and cinematographer around the Wenatchee valley producingcommercial and documentary films for North 40 Productions for last 12years. With a passion for living life’sadventures and a camera in hand, Oly considers North Central Washington hisparadise and loves to capture it’s beauty and celebrate the community thrucreative video storytelling.
Around the time his baby was born 2 years ago, was about thetime Oly re-evaluated his career and re-focused from commercial film tocreating videos and photography of families celebrating life’s preciousmoments. Oly has a tremendous skill set and gets great enjoyment in capturing the joy that comes fromweddings, family gatherings and “life” as it happens such as birthdays, anniversaries,and Quinceaneras.
Oly is still interested in producing commercial videos aslong as it has a “community” focus, but if you can get him to film yourfamilies hiking trip or a day skiing on the hill, he will be in his element anddo his best creative work, custom made just for you.
(pc: Oly Mingo Films& Photography)
Personalized bridal jewelry for brides and their bridalparty has become a niche Katelyn Mingo has been doing for a while. She does it beautifully and people LOVEher! Born and raised in Wenatchee,Katelyn (wife of Oly Mingo mentioned above) has been producing her ownsemi-precious stone and wire wrapped jewelry under the name Gypsy Lotus forclose to 10 years.
Mainly thru word-of-mouth and recognition, brides come toKatelyn to create one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect their personality andrequests. Katelyn can make simple andelegant jewelry to over-the-top-amazing pieces made of moonstones, pearls, andquartz based on what the bride desires. And she will make slightly different versions for the bridal party. Give her at least 2-3 weeks turn-around timefrom consultation and Katelyn will create whatever you want keeping herauthentic style in mind.
Katelyn Mingo has gained a good, steady following over theyears by starting at craft shows and farmers markets early on to now owning andoperating her own brick-n-mortar shop, Gypsy Lotus, in downtown Wenatchee. You’ll find Gypsy Lotus collection as well asother local artisan jewelers, home decor, clothing, beads and jewelry makingsupplies, crystals, and more in the shop. You may also see the sweetest little toddler girl, Chy, running aroundthe store. Chy gets to hang out with Mom in her own little playroom in the backof store, complete with a painting table and toys. The next little artisan in the making!
(pc: Oly Mingo Films & Photography)
https://www.facebook.com/GypsyLotusJewelry/
When so much money is put into a beautiful wedding whereeveryone is dressed in their wedding best, who wants to use an icky, crampedport-a-potty? Not me! Royal Flush Luxury Portable Restrooms areconveniently delivered to your event venue in North Central Washington. Brilliant!
You never know when a good idea is going to hit. When Missy and her husband attended a coupleweddings in the Seattle area, complete with luxury portable toilets, they knewthis was a niche not covered in NCW that they could fill. So Missy, a financialadvisor, and her husband, an insurance agent, kept their day jobs, did theresearch, and jumped on ordering their first trailer. By the time the first trailer arrived lastyear, they had enough bookings and demand to order a second trailer. And at the time of writing this post, a thirdtrailer has been ordered and is on the way! Because this is a small yet growing family business, you may see thewhole Tovar family come to drop off and pick up. They even recruit their 19year old neighbor to come help at times.
Each Royal Flush trailer is equipped with two heatedbathrooms, hot water, hard-wood floors, granite counter tops, and extra littleluxuries for a comfortable and posh bathroom visit. A trailer can be dropped off the day beforeyour event and picked up the day after. Handicap accessible and baby changing stations are available in some ofthe trailers. There is a base price forall locations, with an additional delivery charge based on distance. I was also told they would love to expand inthe region and have franchises. Anyone?
Missy says Royal Flush is experiencing growth a lot fasterthan they realized and they are getting booked up for this Summer, so I wouldcall for pricing and to book your event asap!
(pc: Royal Flush)
https://www.royalflushncw.com/
As soon as I saw Swanky Sweets cookies pop up on my socialmedia feed last year, I was in love. Inlove with every design they have made! Swanky Sweet cookies are a work of art! Just look at their Facebook page for a vast portfolio.
Libby Bennett, cookiecreator, started making cookies for fun when friends requested them for theircelebrations. It is only within the lastyear and a half and thru word-of-mouth that Libby has been able to turn her“fun” hobby into an (almost) full-time job. Libby still works part-time for Young Life and is busy raising herfamily whom she says dont really eat cookies.
Swanky Sweets cookiesare becoming more popular at baby showers, birthdays, family functions andweddings to enjoy at the party or take as a token gift. Your cookies will be baked fresh (neverfrozen) and individually packaged and heat sealed so that each cookie staysfresh longer and is protected from the icing getting smudged from moisture orstacking.
Cookie flavors are mainly vanilla sugar cookies, but almond,chocolate, and seasonal Holiday apple and pumpkin spice cookies are availableas well. Libby uses the Royal Icingtechnique to decorate cookies, which goes on as a glaze and hardens whencooled. Her vast assortment of airbrushtools, sprinkles, and artistic talent take the cookie to the next level. And with 1500 cookie cutters accumulated overthe last 10 years, Libby can make cookies with just about any theme youask. And she does it all by herself.
Swanky Sweets personalized boxed sets of cookies are gainingattention from brides who creatively use them as a way to ask their friend“will you be my bridesmaid?” How cool isthat!
(pc: Swanky Sweets)
https://www.facebook.com/SwankySweetsllc/
A contractor with skills and a vision to turn a 1967 SilverQueen Travel Trailer into a mobile bar for local events, inspired Leavenworthcouple, Tibor & Whitney Lak, to create Silver Queen Cantina. A unique niche to the NCW event market,Silver Queen Cantina quietly came on the scene last Fall, and thruword-of-mouth marketing, is quickly gaining in bookings for the 2019season.
Tibor gutted the vintage trailer, cut out a pop-up window,re-painted and equipped it with 2 kegerators, wine refrigerator, sink, stringlights and decor. Making it super easy to set-up and look super cool at yourwedding, block party, or whatever your event. The beauty is the vintage trailer of course, but you are also given thechoice of someone in your party serve behind the bar or bring in aprofessional. All you need is a banquetpermit to make it legal. And of courseWhitney can help with ordering beverages and working event if preferred.
Travel and delivery is FREE from between Wenatchee to LakeWenatchee or Chelan. Outside that rangeadditional mileage charges may apply. Tibor and Whitney will drop off/pick-up at your location the daybefore/after your event. Hit the easybutton! You’ve got a cool bar ready togo for your celebration.
(pc: Silver Queen Cantina)
https://www.facebook.com/Silver-Queen-Cantina-192977464827539/
Wenatchee natives and high school sweethearts, Joe and MandyRoehl, had dabbled in the RV rental market, but landed on an event rentalcompany, Gather Event Rentals, as their chosen business venture. Working part-time at home as an accountantand homeschooling her kids who were getting older, Mandy was ready to take onrunning the new business while Joe worked his full-time job and lends hismuscle as needed. This upcoming seasonwill be Gather Event Rentals first full year, and they’ve been receiving tonsof calls and bookings recently to keep them moving along.
Serving the Wenatchee, Quincy, Chelan and Leavenworth areas,Gather Event Rentals rents out high-quality products in a variety of tables,chairs, linens, and dance floors. Enoughtables and chairs to accommodate up to 200 people. They’ve also added a huge assortment of BirchSlabs in all sizes for that natural and rustic look. Mandy will continue to expand their offeringsas they see requests come in and recognize what’s missing from the market.
I love the gold ChiavariChair in their inventory! But if youneed a different look and more affordable price point, Gather offers 3 otherchair options to choose from along with 5 table choices, tons of linen colors,and dance floors from 8’x8’ up to 16’x16’ in size. Delivery charges start at $25 and go up to$75 (or more) depending on your event location. Everything comes nicely stacked to your location with set-up availablefor additional charge.
(pc: Gather Event Rentals)
https://gatherrentals.com
https://gathereventrentals.com/