If you want to create a stronger community, support local businesses. That’s the philosophy behind Sonoma County’s SoCo Market.
Founded by entrepreneur Mercedes Ramos, SoCo Market was created to provide other small business owners with a platform to connect with their community.
What began as a one-off has now grown into seasonal events and festivals that draw crowds from around Sonoma County and help empower the success of local entrepreneurs, makers, and vendors of all kinds.
In this article, we speak with Mercedes to learn about her journey starting SoCo Market and the profound impact this had made on her and Sonoma County.
Mercedes Ramos: I was a small business owner for a long time. When the pandemic hit, I noticed a huge wave of people using their forced downtime to explore and focus on their passions.
As a result, a ton of new small local businesses were born.
Understanding the entrepreneurial journey, I wanted to create a platform to support these business owners. So, I decided to create an event that would bring the community out.
Luckily, I had a clothing boutique that I could use as the venue. The city allowed me to close my small parking lot to host the event there.
I invited 11 local small businesses that I knew at the time. I received so much support. Not only did the businesses take a chance on me, but the community really showed up for our first event.
SoCo Market just grew from there.
These days, we host our events seasonally through the summer every year in downtown Santa Rosa. We also partner with SOMO Village to host our Forkin’ Good food festival, which features great live music, food vendors, and a small marketplace.
In the beginning, what inspired me and pushed me to get started was my passion for helping small business owners.
Because I was a small business owner, I saw a need for events like SoCo Market firsthand when I was trying to grow my own business. I was always looking for new ways to plug into the local community and reach new customers.
I wanted to create that opportunity for the community.
Nowadays, the connections and relationships that I’ve made within the SoCo Market community are what keep me going. These events have always been about passion over profit. We’re so lucky that we’ve been successful, which just ended up becoming a bonus to what I was doing for the community.
The beautiful thing about small businesses is that customers meet and interact with the owners face to face.
That’s so unique—when else do you get to meet the owner of a business you’re purchasing products from?
All the business owners bring their own character and personality to the market and community. They showcase who they are as people through their business and brand.
I believe that’s what makes Sonoma County so unique. Small businesses help us thrive. This is a big part of what’s given our community so much personality. It’s really hard to duplicate that feeling in larger cities.
That’s why Sonoma County has become a top tourist destination. There are experiences here you can’t replicate anywhere else that are cultivated by small business owners sharing their passion and love with the community around them.
There’s so much power in that.
I love seeing the harvest that has come from the seeds planted by our small business owners.
Attendees love the thrill of discovering new shops and locally-made products while making genuine connections with the business owners.
What’s special is that the shoppers are meeting people who are just like them. Business owners are everyday people who are brave enough to take the leap and try something.
Experiencing that passion and bravery, up close and personal, is so inspiring for our local community to see.
I love seeing the small business owners making connections with the attendees. When I get feedback at the end of the event that owners were able to sell out their products and make meaningful connections, it’s incredibly rewarding.
I’ve met so many small business owners through the SoCo Market that now when other event planners come to me looking for vendor ideas, I can recommend small businesses from our local community.
I’m like Yelp for our local businesses!
There’s nothing better than seeing and helping small businesses thrive.
It’s why I started SoCo Market and why it’s grown so much throughout the years.
With SoCo Market, I focused on hosting outdoor events throughout the summer. After I got the hang of that, I wanted to take another leap and host an indoor holiday market. The holidays are such an important time for small businesses, and people are ready to shop.
So, we decided to host a brand-new annual event, the So Ho Ho Holiday Market, at an indoor venue—Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
We have all different types of vendors at this event, from vintage finds and boutiques to home decor and plants.
After successfully hosting Ho Ho Holiday Market and a few Halloween events, I wanted to expand even further.
I was really inspired by all the foodie events in Los Angeles, and I wanted to bring something similar to Sonoma County to celebrate our incredible local foodie vendors.
That’s when we came up with the Forkin’ Good Festival.
It’s become our biggest event in both attendance and planning!
Food brings people together, and we are huge foodies here in Sonoma County. Creating an experience with food is so powerful, whether it’s among friends and family or more broadly in the community.
It’s been awesome to see how food brings us together—all the way from the vendor who pours their heart into the food to the attendee who’s enjoying it.
That connection is exactly why I wanted to do an event solely focused on food—because it truly brings our community together. Food doesn’t discriminate. We have stuff for kids and the whole family. There’s something for everyone.
Whether you’re interested in becoming a vendor or want to check out what upcoming events we have, check out our website.
You can also follow us on Instagram, where we share our SoCo Market events, other local community events, and featured vendors. There are lots of exciting updates there.
Check back to the SoCo Market events page to get updated on when SoCo Market and Forkin’ Good will be back in 2025.