Within moments of opening the doors at The Well, you are greeted with a warm welcome and smiles at the eclectic coffee spot on Center Street in Stockton. The spacious building is a center for workshops and programs offered to local entrepreneurs starting their business ventures. With a variety of meeting rooms and seating for patrons, the space has the vintage touch of mint tile bathroom walls that remind you of a visit to Grandma’s house.

Around long corridors, customers walk towards the Greatroom, where dangling lights, large windows and cream-colored walls become the backdrop for wedding receptions and company events. Throughout the year, artisans and makers are invited to display their latest homemade creations across tables for weekend events.

This season, a small group of momtrepreneurs table together offering candles, macrame decor and personalized apparel. Customers line up to smell candles at one table, and a crowd of onlookers start to visit neighboring tables to chat with vendors. For stay-at-home mothers like Andrea Green, Khairunnisa Ismail and Shani Dharmasena, these opportunities allow them to make sales and talk with customers in the community.

Green attended an entrepreneur program in early 2024 at The Well looking for advice on how to grow her business and shared the event opportunity with her small business network. With the business growing beyond the online shop, she traveled throughout San Joaquin County to showcase her brand.

Moms and makers

A former elementary teacher and graduate of University of the Pacific, Green always loved making crafts with students. Then, in 2021, she had her daughter, Hayley. “My daughter was born 10 years into our marriage and after several years of fertility treatment, so when I finally became a mom, we made the decision that I would become a stay-at-home mom,” Green says.

Green started a new chapter in life with her daughter. However, her creative nature pushed her to develop an outlet for expression. She started brainstorming ideas on how to create custom shirts and cups from home that would allow her to be flexible with her family. Initially, her small business products were for selected groups of family and friends before she started an Etsy shop. She immersed herself in an entrepreneurial world as she researched equipment, read books and listened to podcasts.

“It was a way for me to express my creativity and connect with others while being at home and raising my newborn,” Green says. “One of my motivations has been connecting with my customers to bring their visions to life through a personalized cup or custom T-shirt.” 

Mama and Maker Co. encapsulates her passion and ideas. With the business evolving, Green learns through interactions with customers and like-minded freelancers. “Networking is huge. Connecting with fellow small business owners is encouraging and helpful as we learn from one another,” Green says. She discovered early on her brand will constantly be “a work in process, and as it grows, I grow. It keeps me on my toes. There are so many pieces to entrepreneurship, but I embrace them with excitement, just like motherhood.” 

Making ties

Green’s friend and fellow maker Khairunnisa Ismail, who previously worked as an elementary school teacher, moved to Lodi from Singapore in 2018 to start a family with her husband in Lodi. 

She had a daughter, Liyana, in 2020 and decided to become a stay-at-home mom. Throughout the pandemic, she raised her daughter and fully embraced motherhood. However, she says, “I always felt something was missing in my life.” 

She started gaining confidence making small macrame items for family and friends. The following year she created a brand called ELM Macrame, after her children’s first initials and their last name, Melton. When researching events and other local small businesses, she discovered Mama Maker Co. through Instagram. Green and Ismail ended up meeting for the first time in person at the Lodi Hill House, and their connection remains strong today.

This support gave Ismail more confidence to attend events and learn from like-minded entrepreneurs. “My creativity has grown — I’ve always considered myself to be an introvert, and doing events helped me overcome my shyness,” Ismail says.

Although this is just the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey, she says she is grateful to the Lodi community embracing her as the “macrame girl.” Her macrame products are now featured in specialty shops throughout San Joaquin County, including Little Shop on the Mile in Stockton.

She continues to evolve her process in small business encouraging other momtrepreneurs to keep learning and growing. “There’s no such thing as a perfect mom,” Ismail says. “It’s OK if you have not figured out yourself after becoming a mom. Sometimes, we need to get lost before we can be found.” 

The little shop that could

During the pandemic, the bustling foot traffic in the Miracle Mile district in Stockton slowed to a crawl. But the Little Shop on the Mile decided to risk opening their doors to create a space showcasing handcrafted items. Leslie Sanchez, who was then a stay-at-home mom selling face masks and 3D-printed items, discovered the shop and soon became a vendor. 

After the first year she found herself in a position to take over the business. “I assisted with operations to help the owner, but the shop was overwhelming, and they had to decide whether to close the shop or sell it,” Sanchez says. Her husband suggested buying the business and streamlining operations. Sanchez knew the business had to change, and a digital transition was more than welcome. “Everything was written down on paper — with my husband’s help we pivoted to digital services,” she says. 

Sanchez continued fine tuning the business and seeking vendors to bring products to Stockton, including Green and Ismail. Throughout the year, she developed a routine that was critical for success. “I had to find a sweet spot during the week to operate the shop. If I opened too early, we didn’t see any foot traffic. I managed to create a routine to spend time with my children and operate the little shop to accommodate customers and vendors,” Sanchez says. 

Heaven scent 

Shani Dharmasena’s 2-year-old daughter loves to smell the candles she makes for her business, DharmaZents, and watch her package products at home. Dharmasena is also a real estate agent and a part-time licensed clinical social worker. Originally from Sri Lanka, she attended Long Beach State in San Diego, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film and a master’s degree in social work. She later moved to Stockton with her family.

When Dharmasena’s daughter was born in 2022, she searched for local mom meetups, eventually meeting Ismail on a group walk in Lodi. “I met Shani on one of the mom walks. When she found out I was from Singapore, we talked about food and traveling. We had so much in common,” Ismail says. Bonding over motherhood, they became friends and spoke about their passions, including candle making. 

Dharmasena always had an affinity for candles. She researched ingredients needed to craft items at her home while she took care of her daughter. After planning, patience and inspiration, her brand began to take shape. “I’ve always had a passion for candles, so I thought why not turn my vision into a reality and craft something that reflects my love for clean and mindful living,” Dharmasena says. “DharmaZents is a blend of my last name and the ‘zen’ ambiance I strive to create with my rustic, one-of-a-kind candles.”

In 2024, Dharmasena began teaming up with Green and Ismail at winery pop-up events. With free smells offered at every event, DharmaZents caught the attention of onlookers walking past her table. Customers were impressed with handcrafted vessels, a variety of scents, and non-toxic, natural coco-soy wax. 

Dharmasena says her parenting experience offers insight on her current business. “Motherhood teaches patience, resilience and multitasking — all qualities that are key to entrepreneurship. When you can balance both, it feels incredibly fulfilling,” Dharmasena says. “As a mother, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected and find solutions in real-time, which mirrors the entrepreneurial journey where things don’t always go as planned.” 

With growing businesses and families, these entrepreneurs continue to carve out time to support one another. Green, Ismail and Dharmasena meet up at a variety of places, including The Well, to discuss entrepreneurial goals, future events and collaborations. Green’s goal is to create a support system in mom communities. She hosted a small event to encourage women to learn, share and be more collaborative with one another, initiating positive small business engagements. 

According to Dharmasena, the key to success is staying “connected to your ‘why,’ whether it’s building a business to provide for your family or fulfilling a personal passion, keeping that in mind will help you push through tough times,” she says. “Lastly, remember that your children are watching and learning from you, so take pride in showing them what it means to follow your dreams.”

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