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The fayVen Story​

After years of dealing with the bureaucratic red tape of government work, April decided to leave her career behind and start a small business of her own. She and her husband Aaron went all-in on a crazy idea that popped into her head… The Princess and The Popper, a gourmet popcorn company. Together they did popcorn for farmers’ markets, downtown events, and private parties, the popcorn was delicious and business was popping! But their dreams were crushed when they planned to open up a storefront and start popping full-time after three opportunities to rent a space were denied. Instead, they had to resort to pop-up shops (pun intended) and rely exclusively on other business owners to invite them to collaborative, shopping events. From these tough experiences April realized that there was an even greater need for a business that connected mobile vendors without storefronts to local venue owners that had spare room for pop-up shops, These events, along with some other unfavorable vendor experiences, inspired the creation of fayVen.

A Community Approach​

Here at fayVen, we LOVE small business! Unfortunately, many small businesses across the country are struggling to keep their doors open because of increased rent, online commerce, Big Box stores… and the dreaded Coronavirus!!! So, in order to keep small businesses strong, we came up with a creative solution to help one another out as a community.

fayVen's Mission Statement

The fayVen mission is to provide mobile, home-based vendors and artisans the opportunity to sell their products and services in their communities and beyond by booking them at complementary local venues – generating additional revenue streams for the venue owners and helping them both stay in business for many years to come.

fayVen is giving an opportunity to mobile, home-based vendors and artisans by allowing them to choose ideal venues for the customer-base they want to reach. It also allows venue owners to generate revenue by temporarily renting out unused space to these mobile vendors.

fayVen is the online platform that is desperately needed to create connections between vendors and venues and make booking incredibly easy and safe.

We create opportunities for mobile vendors to connect with local venues to increase their collective reach through curated, collaborative shopping, dining, and social experiences. 

For mobile vendors without traditional storefronts and local venues in need of additional revenue streams, fayVen simplifies event coordinating and booking, creates community engagement, and helps small businesses garner local support.


Meet our Founders!

April Caldwell Co-Founder and CEO

April served 10 years in the US Air Force as a dental laboratory technician, then received a BSM in Business Management while working as a supervisor for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. She is the previous owner of a gourmet, popcorn company called, The Princess and The Popper. April recently completed her MA in Small Business Entrepreneurship and is on the Board of Action Zone Tampa, a non-profit that helps Veterans and military members and their families start and grow their businesses. 

Aaron Caldwell Co-Founder and COO

Aaron served 20 years in the US Air Force as a dental laboratory technician. He has worked in both State and City Government roles, working in planning, quality assurance, and finance departments. He is a certified life coach, has obtained a BS in Health and Science, he is LEAN/Six Sigma Green Belt certified, has an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, and an MBA. He also has his realtor’s license in Florida. He serves as an Ambassador for the Bunker Labs Tampa chapter, and is a dedicated mentor for high school students.

The fayVen logo has a few meanings and symbolism in it – the first being that the “Ven” in fayVen stands for both our Vendor and Venue customers – it is their fayVorite way to connect after all.

The second is the capital V stands for the fact that we are a Veteran-owned, small business and proud of it.

The third is that April, our founder’s mother’s name was Faith but always answered to “Fay”. She passed away January 29, 2020 from complications surrounding pancreatic and lung cancer. She was an incredible mother and caretaker who loved all things Science Fiction and Disney (especially Star Trek and Princess Aurora). She is loved and missed deeply.

The fourth is that “lightning bolt” is God’s (not-so-secret) name for our founder April.

Last and coincidentally, the Urban Dictionary definition of fayVen is, “A beautiful, smart, young girl who always believes in herself and always knows what the right thing to do is.”
and we couldn’t agree more!

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fayven”>https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fayven

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