The Creative Space Makes Shopping Small a Big Deal | Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce

Nov 17th, 2021

The Creative Space owners at their shop — Jennifer and Remy Tokunaga

The Creative Space is well-known among Sacramento small businesses, not just for its mission of hosting local vendors, but also for its ownership: a powerhouse sister duo.

Sisters Jennifer and Remy Tokunaga were working and attending school in Southern California when they first dreamed up The Creative Space, a small event space in Midtown that hosts creative classes, events, and small business pop-ups. During their free time outside of school, the sisters attended creative classes together.

“We wished we had those types of experiences when we were growing up in Sacramento,” Remy said. “Little did we know that Sacramento was filled with creative businesses that needed a place to showcase and share their passion with others.”

That place would be The Creative Space. Construction began in November 2019 and finished in March 2020, an unfortunate month that aligned with many of the pandemic’s initial impacts.

“The last year and half has been a rollercoaster with many ups and downs. We didn’t get to have our grand opening and we couldn’t host classes during the first six months of our business,” Jennifer said. “However, the pandemic also gave us time to strategize and find new purpose for our business. We’ve been very fortunate to build a creative community of local artists and businesses and connect them to people who love supporting small businesses.”

Pop-up tents outside The Creative Space in Sacramento — Pop-ups outside The Creative Space during an event.

Despite the pandemic, entrepreneurs continue to start new businesses. In California alone, more than 442,000 applications for new business licenses were filed in 2020, meaning more small businesses owners were looking for ways to share their products. The Creative Space became a place where this was not only possible, but regular. Small local businesses like The Whiskful Kitchen, Kandelita Company, and Berry&Thyme have championed The Creative Space for the opportunity it offers. For Jennifer and Remy, reaching and connecting new small businesses is also a chance for them to further explore their hometown.

“The Creative Space has been a vehicle for us to reach new people and develop connections with the city and community that we grew up in,” Remy said. “We’re excited to continue to meet more people and work on bigger projects with nonprofits and other small businesses.”

The sister duo has a unique combination of experiences that make their work at The Creative Space so special. Both Jennifer and Remy participated in the Disney College Program while obtaining their business degrees. The Disney College Programs employs college students to work at the Disneyland parks and take courses from professionals in different sectors of the business. Even after the programs ended, Jennifer and Remy are sharing the magic at The Creative Space.

“We’ve been able to take what we learned from our Disney experience and apply it to our business,” Jennifer said.

Apparently, the magic is working, as The Creative Space holds several pop-ups monthly and features different small businesses from around the region at each event.

“We’re able to do what we love because Sacramento continues to show up for us – whether it’s attending a class or shopping small and local at one of our pop-ups,” Remy said. “We hope people continue to support each other and keep shopping small.”

Here’s where you can show your support for The Creative Space:

1525 U St.
Sacramento, CA 95818

hello@thecreativespacesac.com

Website: www.thecreativespacesac.com/
Facebook: @thecreativespacesac
Instagram: @thecreativespacesac