Brandon Brewster and his family, wife and two daughters were new residents to Benicia in 2015. The Brewster family immediately fell in love with the town and was eager to be a bigger part of it.
Brewster had the opportunity to take over the iconic Double Rainbow Cafe and keep it alive for the neighbors of his new town. "Everyone knew Double Rainbow in downtown Benicia here. And so that was a way for us to be involved with the community," said Brewster.
Along with the ice cream shop, Brewster soon found a new opportunity when he spotted another ice cream shop up the street about to close its doors. He jumped at the opportunity to take it over and turn it into a frozen yogurt shop; something the town had been asking for a long time. "And we had the opportunity to take it over. So we made that choice to convert the ice cream store into a frozen yogurt store," said Brewster.
Rainbow Froyo was now his second business in Benicia. The store supports the local community by donating to organizations such as Salano Children's Network and CASA of Salano County. "...we decided that a percentage of all sales goes back to local children's charities. And so, we've just recently crossed over $30,000 donated..." said Brewster.
If that wasn't enough, another store in Benicia was also suddenly closing its doors. This time it was a local coffee shop. Noticing what a staple the shop had become, he took over the location, keeping most of its employees. "Majestic is a part of people's lives. They wake up. They come to the store, say hi to the people they know," said Brewster.
The importance of small-town business is also a priority to Brewster's employees, who are all also locals to Benicia. "There's really something special about knowing the community around you and knowing the people who own the businesses and not just having, you know, some mysterious face behind the company," said Mia Montoya, Shift Lead at The Double Rainbow Cafe. "It's great having a location that, you know, you can call your work and your home," said Thomas Diaz, Barista at The Majestic Café. "I would say the most important part of my job is the way in which I am interacting with my community. Especially as a small business, the community is what keeps us afloat," said LuLu Wilson, Manager at Rainbow Froyo.
With entrepreneurs like Brewster, his employees, and support from the community, small businesses are thriving in Benicia. It seems like Brewster has found a wonderful community for his family to grow.
For more information: https://www.beniciadoublerainbow.com, https://www.rainbowfroyo.com, https://www.majestic-cafe.com