Big Dreams for Mabel's Market

I own a store. 

It’s a little store, barely more than 250 square feet, tucked back on D Street between the Pence Gallery and The Mustard Seed. It’s called Mabel’s Market.

We sell jams and jellies and honey. And pickles and hot sauce and really good salami. And tinned fish. Sardines, anchovies, oysters, tuna belly with yuzu, salmon with chili crisp and cockles and mussels. Our shelves are lined with every kind of tinned fish you can imagine. 

I am the improbable, self-proclaimed Tinned Fish Queen of Yolo County and I couldn’t be prouder.

You’ll also find fresh baked baguettes and fresh cut flowers in my store.

If I’m being honest, I give away more bread than I sell, which, when it comes to my bottom line, is problematic and would seem to defeat the purpose of having a store. Except that it brings me great joy to give away fresh-baked bread. 

In my defense, I also sell tiny jars of salt tossed with edible flowers for $22. I know. Ridiculous. But the fancy salt is a big seller and it supports my bread habit. It also pays the rent. 

All in all, it’s a pretty nice way to spend my days, giving away bread and making a killing on fancy salt.

We’ve been in business for 18 months and moved recently from a tiny location in the breezeway between Peets and Chipotle to our current location on D Street. 

I love my little store and I wanted to share with you some big plans.

Today, after months of preparing, I am turning my plans into the City of Davis to add a kitchen to the back of our space so we can open a bistro.

I want to provide a beautiful space to serve little seasonal plates, meant to be shared, and prepared with all the products I sell in the store: Bowls of warm marinated olives drizzled with the best olive oil; little sandwiches with smoked salmon, yogurt and truffle honey; our special balsamic strawberry shortcake. Hopefully, your meal will be served with a flute of champagne or a frosty glass of Sunshine Highway. 

The plans aren’t complicated. I did them myself with frequent advice from friends who work as architects and contractors. We need to add some plumbing and upgrade some electrical. All doable according to my plumber and electrician and other advisors.

I am absolutely terrified to embark on this process. For lots of reasons, but mostly because, just like every small business owner in the world, I’ve put everything into this business. To say “I want this to work” would be an understatement. Like so many business owners, I feel like I have everything to lose. That is wonderful and terrifying at the same time.

For my part, I plan to embrace the process ahead. I know there will be adjustments and recommendations and hurdles. It will probably cost more that I planned and take longer than I hoped. But I’ll move ahead with the assumption that it will all come together in the end.

And I hope, in return for wanting to do something good - something that could be beautiful and fun and build community - that the people with all the power to help me make it happen do just that: Help me make it happen.

I hope you’ll come along with me on this adventure. 

I’ll keep you informed every step of the way.

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