Meet Jah Schaffer and Mars Woods | Tacopreneurs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jah Schaffer and Mars Woods and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jah & Mars, what principle do you value most?
The most important principle to us and our business is the ability to bring joy. We care about the experience that people have when they visit us, it brings shared joy that bridges into our other values, such as; sustainability, quality and affordable food. We truly value people and we want people to feel seen when they are with us, regardless of ethnicity, financial status, physical ability, or humor processing capability.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
This business actually started as a joke and since then we have just taken one idea and let it flow into the next. It has not been easy, but it has been fun. It all started one late night while eating tacos in the kitchen. One of our owners, Jah, was facing a very hard time financially and emotionally making her quite depressed. Mars stepped in with a plan, “we should eat vegan tacos,” because nobody can be sad while eating a taco. A few nights went on like this and one day we jokingly declared that “these tacos are so good, we should go in business.” A few weeks went by and Mars came up with a crazy idea, “let’s host a taco party!” It was decided that all our friends and family would be invited and donations would be accepted.

We pulled the party together in less than two weeks, served over 50 people and raised over $600. That was enough support for us to pull the trigger and take the next steps to make the business official. We filed our business license, enrolled in ServSafe courses and Tacos & Giggles Inc. was born. The best part about this business is that it was not created with the intent to make money, but instead to feed people and make them happy. This has made the progression of the business flow naturally.

At each event we are offered the opportunity to attend other events that align with the mission of the business. Our audience is growing steadily and the brand’s reputation speaks for itself as people rush to our tent to ensure they order their tacos before we sell out. We like to think that we didn’t choose to become owners of Tacos & Giggles, we just followed our hearts and T&G chose us.

One lesson that we have learned is that you can take a hard time and transform it into something meaningful and significant. Some people turn lemons into lemonade, we turn frowns upside down! We are extremely flexible and resilient at all capacities, which has allowed us to use each obstacle as a learning opportunity to become more informed, more deliberate and more hilarious.

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?
Hypothetically speaking, if someone were to stay with me/us for one week. We would take them to our favorite stores for goods, supplies, and camaraderie: Nuts ‘n Berries, Health Unlimited, and Sevanada. As far as restaurants would be Cafe Bombay (buffet, of course), Upbeet, Golden Buddha, La Parilla, and L’thai. Umm now for fun; Sol Dance (best time ever), Crafts and Crates at halfway Crooks (shout out Mike), PCM (rooftop & Bellina Alimentari). Lastly to Tara Theater and Plaza Theater (love the vibes there). Other than that, stay home and feed them lots of tacos.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many people who have inspired and encouraged us on this journey. We would like to shoutout the city of Pine Lake for giving us the opportunity to develop our business in an accepting and supporting environment.

Mari Geier, of Nuts ‘n Berries, for her commitment to local businesses. She has been such a valuable resource for knowledge and encouragement. Especially, the confidence that it takes to stand up in front of strangers with a new product and believe in it. Her belief in us has given us a place to launch and learn.

We would also like to shout out our day one supporters who were there when this crazy business idea when it was just a joke. Dwight & Augusta, @Flamezz.art, Jarquisha, Elaine, Jen, Charles, Breezy, Mike & Z, Jazz, Tracy, Qiyana, Vincent, Kristin, Rob, Stephanie, Christina & Skyler, Muse, and Translee. To anybody we left out, please charge our minds and not our hearts!

Website: tacosandgiggles.com

Instagram: tacosandgiggles

Facebook: tacosandgiggles