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Stockton launches initiative to support female-owned small businesses

Mayor Michael Tubbs, Reinvent Stockton Foundation, and Goodstock Productions launched the Stockton Strong Marketplace for female entrepreneurs in Stockton.

STOCKTON, Calif. — You may have heard the phrase "Who runs the world?" and in Stockton, it's female business owners, also known as the Stockton Strong Marketplace. 

Mayor Michael Tubbs, along with Reinvent Stockton and Goodstock Productions, launched the online marketplace for female entrepreneurs in Stockton. The goal is to encourage people to shop locally from the roughly 30 female-owned businesses in the marketplace.

"We had started this conversation, as far as female-specific marketplace last fall with the mayor's office," said Amy Sieffert, co-owner of Goodstock Productions, one of the organizations responsible for launching this initiative. "It just made sense right now to bring that back and do it virtually, especially since small businesses are hurting more than before." 

One of those female-owned businesses is Hungry Crafting Sisters, an art and craft store that offers personalized items for customers. The business is run by two sisters and they say this new initiative has benefited them in a major way.

"We've got a lot of followers from Stockton," said Karen Monares, co-owner Hungry Crafting Sisters. "People have been reaching out to us directly and getting more items than what we offer at the StockMarket website." 

Ultimately, they want to encourage other future female entrepreneurs to take that leap of faith.

"We always want to inspire and empower women," explained Tina Phanthaamat, co-owner Hungry Crafting Sisters. "This is a cool platform to showcase ourselves and to tell other people to just do it. We tell others just put yourself out there. Don't sell yourself short."

The online market will be running through September 12. For more information on how you can support these entrepreneurs, feel free to visit the website stockmarketca.com/stocktonstrong

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