Meet Jin Sonu, Benny Dixson and Paul Bratcher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jin Sonu, Benny Dixson, and Paul Bratcher.

Jin Sonu opened her first bakery in Manhattan after finishing culinary school, and later relocated to the Bay area in California with her family. There she continued baking and opened her second location. Eventually, her husband’s work led them to AZ where she opened Purple Elephant Cakes in Litchfield Park. PEC is primarily a wedding and event bakery specializing in delicious cakes made with love. She has established herself as the premier cake bakery in the west valley, serving brides, and party planners as well as corporate customers. While custom cakes require advance notice, Purple Elephant offers fresh cupcakes, cake pops, and French macarons daily.

Located inside this awesome bakery, you will find Small Goods Market & Coffee Bar, owned and operated by Paul Bratcher and Benny Dixson. Benny had a background in luxury retail, and Paul had an always dabbled in food and art and was looking for something new after several years in consulting. They decided to open a market that offered locally made products in downtown Phoenix. They soon outgrew their vintage boutique and began searching for a place with higher foot-traffic as well as a place where they could share their own locally roasted coffee brand, Tio Ben’s Coffee. Having met Jin the previous year, they kept in contact as both of their businesses grew.

Jin’s business had grown to the point where she needed someone to take over the counter at her bakery full time so she and her head decorator, Tricia Callahan could accept the growing demand for cakes. She had lots of retail space and was fully outfitted for offering coffee and more. The guys and Jin decided to merge, and in April of this year Small Goods Market & Coffee Bar opened inside Purple Elephant Cakes.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As it is with most journeys, this one has not been completely smooth. Both of our businesses started from scratch and required time to get established, as well as overcoming obstacles that come with the territory. The merger, however, has been surprisingly smooth. Keeping our own individual businesses and sharing a common goal/work space has created a synergy that allows us both to serve more customers and help each other grow.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Purple Elephant is known for amazing cakes for special events and is one of the very few places in the valley where you can find house made French macarons everyday.

Small Goods Market & Coffee Bar carries a variety of locally produced goods. Some of our most popular products include Tio Ben’s Coffee, Beehave Honey, and candles from DOG Candle Co and others. All of our local items are housed alongside our coffee bar featuring handcrafted espresso drinks, cold brew coffee, fresh lemonades, iced teas, and Italian sodas.

While we get lots of out of town visitors from the Wigwam Resort, Luke Air Force Base and across the valley, we have our neighborhood regulars as well. After all, it is pretty awesome to stop at the bakery for a box of French macarons and be able to pick up a bag of gourmet coffee and a birthday card to go with it.

Do you feel luck has played a role in your life?
Neither of us succeeded purely because of luck. Taking advantage of opportunities, networking and persevering definitely plays a role. We were introduced to each other by a local business owner, Ruben Trujillo of Cafe Emporos Coffee. (We also happen to serve his espresso beans at our coffee bar.) Ruben collaborates with people across the valley to help them grow and meet other business owners that could be beneficial for them.

Contact Info:

• Address: 13331 W. Indian School Road, Suite 202
  Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
• Website: purpleelephantcakes.com, smallgoodsmarket.com
• Phone: 623-537-7322
• Email: pecakesaz@gmail.com theguys@smallgoodsmarket.com
• Instagram: Purple_Elephant_Cakes / smallgoodsmarket

Image Credit:
Purple Elephant Cakes/Small Goods Market

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