Winter 2024

The Shop Offers Business Star tups a Leg Up B Y M I CHA E L CHAT F I E LD E very entrepreneur dreams of starting a small business and nurturing it into a large one. But as anyone who has walked that road is painfully aware, the process is fraught with challenges. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work,” and the model of business incubator does just that, spreading the load among several startups. The Shop was formed in 2019 by three enthusiastic and energetic businesspeople, Jessica Ansberry (Progress Not Perfection Paint Parties), Nile Estep (GoodRoots Events) and Chris Powers (Chris Powers Print and Design Team). “We saw a fresh canvas to create this space,” Powers says. “And we got a great response from the public.” Indeed, to date, eight participants in the concept have grown to become si\ figure businesses. Located in Monterey, The Shop is a happily jumbled space that incorporates a licensed cold kitchen for food prep, several spaces for creat- ing art, Powers’ print business and, for a time, a retail outlet. This enterprise is a constantly evolving work in progress. “-t’s been a nice flow of ‘hey we need to make this happen’ and we just do it,” Powers adds. Currently eight artists call The Shop home as do four food vendors. For more information about The Shop, visit www.theshopmonterey.com . SHORT CUTS BUSINESS (Left to right) Patrick Ayres, James Welsh, Chris Powers and Sean Thompson are all a part of the collective known as The Shop in Monterey. 78 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 Photo: Kelli Uldall