If you haven't been there in a while then you haven't been there

There are new and exciting things happening in town and they are taking place at Tehachapi Natural Market! Owners Teresa Dunlop and Sarah Rose are shaking things up so much that their new campaign, "If You Haven't Been There In A While Then You Haven't Been There," really is more than just a gimmicky tagline.

The market first opened in January, 2018 at its current location, 20221 W. Valley Blvd., and even though it was well received by the community it struggled like most small businesses do. "Thanks to all of our wonderful, loyal customers," Teresa tells us, "We were able to keep the doors open and keep providing healthy juices, smoothies and acai bowls but I knew I was going to have to do more to really be successful. That's why I decided last fall to bring on a partner."

Enter Business major, business owner, Realtor® and market customer, Sarah Rose. "We had finally gotten an amazing staff to run the office over at John the Plumber, which freed me up to do what I'm best at: marketing and merchandising," Sarah explains. "My skills were a perfect fit at the market. Teresa and I had the same vision and together we're making that happen. Teresa always says, 'Iron sharpens iron,' and I think she's right and it shows by what's happening at the market and the customer response."

Teresa chimes in, "We recently had a customer tell us, 'You're the most fun place in town!' As you can imagine, that made us pretty happy."

What exactly is going on that is so different than before and making customers so excited? "Gosh, where do we start?" Sarah laughs. "We have new menu items, including dairy-free and gluten free soups, smoothies and burritos. The pineapple whip, reminiscent of Disneyland's Dole Whip, has been a huge crowd pleaser. We now offer larger sizes of smoothies and juices, which was a customer request. We have more local vendor items than ever, with items ranging from organic bath salts to paraffin-free candles to jewelry to local honey from Mullenax Ranch." She adds, "That barely begins to scratch the surface of listing all the amazing and talented vendors that use our market to sell their wares. You just have to come in and see it all."

In addition to the items brought in by local talent, Sarah has been going on buying trips looking for fun items that she thinks customers will love as much as she does. "I've brought in purses, backpacks, natural stone jewelry, blankets and more! Our customers are so excited when they come in and see all the new goodies.

"One of our most exciting additions to the market," she tells us, "is dairy-free, egg-free, vegan cake! One of our market customers connected us with the owner of Doomie's Restaurant in Hollywood. My husband and I had gone in and had the largest and most delicious piece of chocolate cake that I've ever had! As I rapturously enjoyed each bite, I just knew that we had to have these at Tehachapi Natural Market. Our first shipment of 10 assorted slices sold out in 24 hours. Our next shipment of 40 slices sold out in 4 days!" What is so special about these cakes? "First off, the slices are HUGE, seriously large enough to serve several people. The next thing is that they are vegan, which means, among other things, no dairy or egg, which is perfect for our customers with dairy and egg allergies. Lastly, they are just plain-melt-in-your-mouth delicious!"

So, if you haven't been there in a while, get on over to Tehachapi Natural Market and experience the fun!