Small businesses are the lifeblood of any community, especially in the heart of San Diego. But micro-businesses, those that operate out of their homes, are often overlooked. Your neighbor down the street in Serra Mesa might run a bakery from her kitchen, or your coworker in Clairemont might sell homemade honey from her driveway.
These micro-businesses connect our community and, some would say, make products and offer services with just a little (okay, a lot) more love than you’d get from a corporate chain. These businesses are built through bootstrapping and dreaming, in the process providing residents with alternative resources for purchasing goods and services.
But how do you find these businesses? Micro-businesses tend to spread the word through local Facebook groups, Instagram, Nextdoor, and other similar outlets, but unless the algorithm stars are aligned perfectly, you might miss them. So we’re highlighting just a few microbusinesses hiding in plain sight near you in Clairemont and Serra Mesa.
What is a Microbusiness?
Micro-businesses are businesses with few employees (often only one), launched with a small amount of capital, and are typically owner-operated. Many of these micro-businesses operate with a Cottage Food permit, which allows San Diego residents to cook or bake from their home kitchens. Permit holders must adhere to strict guidelines and pass a food handler program, so you can feel safe buying and consuming these products.
Serra Mesa Micro-Businesses
Mindfully Made Sourdough
Mindfully Made is a licensed microbakery specializing in long-fermented sourdough breads and other baked goods, including cinnamon rolls, scones, cookies, and more. It uses high-quality flours and thoughtfully selected ingredients to create top-notch products.
Mindfully Made’s Story
Mickayla Carmody, a Serra Mesa native who now lives in Tierrasanta, started her business with a simple prayer. Like many mothers of young children, she had a vision of creating something of her own beyond motherhood. She had a desire to cook and bake for her family from scratch with simple, healthy ingredients.
Baking for her family eventually turned into sharing her baked goods with friends and neighbors. As with many cottage businesses, word spread, and Mickayla decided to make Mindfully Made an official business, launching in the summer of 2024.
“Baking has always been a love language for me, and Mindfully Made became a way to connect with people, create something special, and share that with others through local events, supporting schools, and simply sharing good food,” said Mickayla.
How to Order from Mindfully Made
You can find Mindfully Made on Instagram and Facebook, where Mickayla posts her rotating menu. You may pre-order through the Mindfully Made website, but if you don’t place an online order, Mickayla also offers walk-up shopping on a first-come, first-served basis. The pickup locations are on Fridays from 3 pm-7 pm at Mickayla’s home (address revealed after ordering) and on Sundays from 8 am to 1 pm at the Serra Mesa Bread Shed, located at 8456 Encino Avenue.
Penny’s Pantry
Penny’s Pantry is a Serra Mesa microbakery that specializes in East Coast-style Italian desserts, such as Italian rainbow cookies, pizzelles, and pignoli cookies, but also offers sourdough breads, seasonal baked goods, and custom cupcakes. If you’ve spent any time on the East Coast, you know their Italian bakeries rival what you can get here in San Diego. Through Penny’s Pantry, you can bring a bit of that East Coast flavor to your home.
Penny’s Pantry’s Story
No, the bakery isn’t owned by a woman named Penny. Rather, Penny is Serra Mesa resident Jessica Gere’s dog, and the namesake of her micro-business. And of course, Penny is a loyal assistant who provides moral support with tail wags.
Jessica grew up in Connecticut and worked in an Italian bakery as a teenager, so she learned expert techniques firsthand from lifelong bakers. She often baked for family and friends, and eventually decided to start Penny’s Pantry to share her baked goods beyond her close circle. Pignoli cookies, almond-flavored, buttery cookies covered in toasted pine nuts, are a rarity in San Diego, so having them available in the neighborhood is a big score. And apparently, the word has gotten out.
“Sandiegoville did an article about me in December, and my first holiday season in business was a huge success,” shared Jessica.
How to Order from Penny’s Pantry
Penny’s Pantry is on Instagram, where you can follow for regular updates on what Jessica offers for purchase. She includes a link to her order form in her profile, and only bakes what is ordered. Pick-ups from her home are typically on Saturdays or Sundays. There is no walk-up shopping; however, Jessica hosts pop-ups where you can purchase a variety of her pre-made baked goods.
Live Love Laugh Bake
If you’re looking for sweet treats in the neighborhood, look no further than Live Love Laugh Bake. It offers cookies, cakes, crack corn, chocolates, cupcakes, and cake pops. This cottage bakery operates under a Class B Cottage license, which means it can sell directly to consumers and also to third-party retailers (which Class A licensees cannot).
Live Love Laugh Bake also offers baking and decorating classes.
Live Love Laugh Bake’s Story
Serra Mesa resident Valerie Lindsley has been baking for as long as she can remember. As an adult, she obsessively watched the Food Network channel and was inspired to recreate some of the cakes she saw on the shows. In 2009, she ended up on a show herself. Valerie was part of the cake-making team on TLC’s “The Ultimate Cake Off.” While her team didn’t win, the experience was worthwhile.
Valerie continued baking with Susan Carberry, the main baker on her team from the show, at her Murrieta bakery. There, she honed her baking skills.
“I figured at one point I had baked over 40,000 cupcakes in a one-year timeframe,” said Valerie.
After that experience, she ventured out on her own and launched Live Love Laugh Bake.
How to Order from Live Love Laugh Bake
You can order directly from the bakery’s website. Live Love Laugh Bakery is also on Instagram and Facebook, but is not very active on either.
In addition, you’ll find their baked goods at Java Garden coffee shop in Serra Mesa.
Canine Canyon Park
Canine Canyon Park is a private dog park in Serra Mesa that’s available to rent by the hour, a perfect refuge for your pup to play off-leash, socialize on playdates, or celebrate his or her birthday. It’s fully fenced and sits on the canyon rim with plenty of room to play and beautiful views, especially at sunset.
Canine Canyon Park’s Story
Cindy Price has been renting out the backyard space of her home to local dog owners since 2022, when she heard about the Sniffspot app. Since she posted Canine Canyon Park on Sniffspot, it gets booked nearly every single weekday and weekend. They’ve added more amenities and enrichment opportunities for dogs, so they will get the most out of their visit.
It’s a great alternative to public dog parks, where you can put your dog’s health and safety at risk, and as a dog owner, it provides you with a relaxed environment where you can wear out your pooch.
“We love dogs and are especially passionate about dog rescue. We currently foster. Being able to provide our unique space to the dog community makes us so happy,” said Cindy.
How to Visit Canine Canyon Park
You can book by the hour via the Sniffspot app or the Rome app.
Clairemont Micro-Business
Home Grown in the City
Locally cultivated honey and organic, homemade skincare products are the name of the game for Home Grown in the City’s offerings. Home Grown in the City offers a wide range of skincare products, including lip scrubs and balms, creams and lotions, oils, and more.
Home Grown in the City’s Story
In 2010, Clairemont resident April Larson was pregnant with her son, and she made a conscious decision to avoid preservatives on her body while he was growing. April started making her own organic, natural skincare products. In 2013, she started giving her products as gifts to her son’s teachers. They were a hit, and the teachers began asking how they could order more.
And so, Home Grown in the City was born. April started with skincare, but eventually started offering organic honey. She works with a beekeeper who pollinates small, clean citrus groves and turns that into small-batch honey, a local favorite.
April also offers consultations, which she calls “Have a Seat Boutique,” where you can ask questions, sample various goods, and purchase what you love.
“The best part of what I do is hearing how these products have impacted my clients’ lives. I create things to fill a need, and when I hear they have cleared skin issues, health issues, or just made things feel better, my heart fills right up,” said April. “Real-life motivation is the best!”
How to Order from Home Grown in the City
April recently launched her HomeShed, a self-serve space in her driveway on Ottawa Avenue in Clairemont. It’s open from 9 am to 8 pm, Friday through Sunday. Keep an eye out for the large honey flag.
In addition, you can follow Home Grown in the City on Instagram for updates on local pop-up events. A limited number of products are available at Vinya: vino + vinyasa in Clairemont and the full line at Pangaea Outpost in Pacific Beach.
