"Whatever you want to do, don't give up, and keep pushing until you do it." - Sandra Saldivar, Panadería Saldivar

2013. "We didn't know exactly what we were doing," says Sandra Saldivar, who now owns Panadería Saldivar with her husband Abiud. But, Saldivars knew they wanted to start a business of their own. But, what kind of business?

"My husband leaned towards a restaurant. I thought that sounded like a lot of work. But, this is a lot of work, too. It's just more fun."

Abiud called his mother for her empanada recipe, and they began baking out of their home.

Yes, there were challenges. They had to get licensed by the health department, and their house was not zoned for business. But, by working with the City of Arcola, they worked through that.

And then the pandemic hit. But, that made their food even more popular. And, they were baking bread for food trucks, which were also experiencing an increase in business.

Then their family room turned into a storage room. There were knocks on the door at all times of the day asking if they had empanadas. It was time to do something.

So, after working with the City of Arcola again, they opened a brick and mortar Mexican-style bakery on Main Street. It took a year and half, but that was because Saldivars did not want traditional loans or credit card debt. They bought what they could afford, buying most equipment and decor second-hand.

"We've just loved the time we spent making this happen," Sandra says. "I'm not going to tell you it's been easy and sweet, but it has been worth it."

One of Sandra's mentors, a former Arcola grocer Tim Sisk, once told her, "Don't ever close the door on a customer, because you will lose that customer." Sandra took that advice to heart.

"I have to be careful how I treat my customers," she says. One bad review can be devastating to a small business.

Sandra shared several tips and lessons she has learned as a small business owner - including sourcing ingredients and setting prices, and for that we are grateful.

We're also quite in love with the corn muffins. Seriously. You all need to try them. They are unlike any other muffins around, but you can only get them at Panadería Saldivar in Arcola.

"One of the good things about our business is there aren't many Mexican bakeries near us."

Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship
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