We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tim & Kate Stevenson & Homer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tim & Kate below.
Tim & Kate, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
We’ve always felt that part of the mark of success is your ability to give back to your community. From the very beginning of starting the vending machines we wanted to make sure we were also supporting a community that has supported us. Our first year in business, we donated to two separate volunteer dog rescues and ran a fundraiser for one, supported all our local artists for their work, and even provided free plan b! It’s inspired us to keep looking for more opportunities to expand our business and ways to give back.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Both of the owners of Bizarre Bazaar Vending have corporate day jobs and realize the importance of establishing roots and meaningful connections with the neighborhood around us. Our Creative vending machines are curated to be a delightful moment and create joy during a hectic day, a conversation starter, a funny moment, and even maybe get you to try something new!
We also wanted to provide a passive marketplace to support local artists, and are proud to have partnered with over 25 local San Diego Artists and makers in the last year!
Easily our proudest moments so far have been our partnership with Cadence OTC to provide free morning after pills in our vending machines and supporting The Cantu Foundation with a foster dog fundraiser! We loved being able to provide free healthcare to those who need it. We and our customers really loved being able to support The Cantu Foundation as we were able to donate $300 raised during the holiday season!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
We really approached this as an exploration of applying the skills we had to figure it out and then build on those with what we learn and figure it out along the way. The most important combination of skills came from Kate’s creativity and business acumen, Tim’s engineering and resourcing, and a shared strong sense of humor where we don’t take anything too seriously.
The best advice we could give to those early in the journey is figure out what you know, figure out what you need to know, and find the people who will fill in the gaps.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We are looking to collaborate with artists and business owners! We are always looking for new artists and makers to collaborate with and put their work in the vending machines. We mostly work with San Diego creatives but we have also worked with an artist in Austin, TX and offered their products in our machines. Artists can reach us on our Instagram @bizarrebazaarvending or through a form on our website, www.bizarrebazaarvending.com.
We are also looking for new host locations and expand our vending machines with other San Diego businesses! We are looking for venues, breweries, bars, and coffee shops, or anywhere that you think your customers would appreciate local art and supporting local small businesses. We curate the product selection for your location, create a one-of-a-kind mural featuring local dogs in the area, and manage all machine maintenance – all we ask for is about 4 square feet and an outlet. You can reach us via Instagram or email, bizarrebazaarvending@gmail.com, or through the form on our website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bizarrebazaarvending.com
- Instagram: @bizarrebazaarvending
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