Meet Isabel Cortes | Local Business Supporter and Event Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isabel Cortes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isabel, what do you attribute your success to?
Definitely my community! In reality, my brand only exists because of them. The local vendors I support and the brick and mortar businesses that take us in, are what makes my brand successful. Being born and raised San Diegan means that we help each other out.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My brand is Spirited Holidays & Bazaars and it started because I had a need to let out some creativity. I felt myself slipping into a state of depression and I thought the holidays throughout the year would be a perfect way to get crafty and work with my hands. Not long after though, I realized I could organize events where other small businesses could get together in a community to support each other in their craft and financial journey. A lot of small businesses were started out of the pandemic, so I figured I could help my community on top of helping myself, emotionally and financially. Today, creating holiday crafts has become the side hustle to my real passion; organizing the spaces for others to come and sell their crafts. I’m naturally an organized person and I thrive from having a plan, so this new venture has really come easy to me. The only real hurdle I think I’ve had to overcome, and I continue working on every day, is getting out there and simply starting the conversation with people: whether it be inviting vendors to come to sell at one of my bazaars or talking to the brick and mortars that host us. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to have fun and I’d like for everyone to know that it’s possible to be happy in life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being from San Diego, there are tons of places that we enjoy and I personally, love to be a tourist in my own town. So, visiting Old Town, Balboa Park, Mission Bay’s De Anza Cove, watching a movie at Mission Valley mall or Grossmont Center, and eating some delicious taco shop food would all be on our itinerary. Personally, taking a blanket, a good book, some carne asada fries, and an ice-cold sangria to the grassy area of Mission Bay on a sunny day is my idea of a perfect San Diego day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I honestly can’t credit only one person so I’ll credit them all! First and foremost, my mom for being my rock and eternal supporter. She always knows what to say to help me believe in myself. Also, my friend Rosalinda for introducing me to this industry: without her, I wouldn’t have been able to get started. Third, but just as important, I want to shout out my boyfriend, Jay, who understands my crafts mess in the living room and my random communication times with local businesses. More than any one single person, I want to thank all the local vendors that have worked with me, are currently planning to work with me, and I hope will work with me in the future. As I said before, without them, I wouldn’t even exist. So, I would like to share this spotlight with all of you because we are all in it to win it!

Website: https://linktr.ee/Spirited.holidays

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spirited.holidaysnbazaars/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirited.holidaysnbazaars