VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Neptune Wine Festival brought thousands of people to the oceanfront this weekend, and for many small businesses, the event was about more than just a good time.
For vendors, the festival represented a chance to grow, connect with customers, and build a name in an economy where every dollar matters.
Daniel Louden, a representative for Cobbler Mountain Cider, said the timing could not have been better.
"The last few years have been cloudy, but there's no clouds so I'm excited," Louden said.
For vendors like Cobbler Mountain Cider, festivals like this are about visibility just as much as sales. Louden says getting face to face with customers helps smaller companies compete in a growing market where costs continue to rise.
The company's growth tells its own story.
"From 2011 to 2013 we were actually in our basement," Louden said.
"Now we're in about 300 places within the state of Virginia," Louden said.
What started in a basement has expanded across the Commonwealth — proof that events like these can help businesses move from local favorites to statewide brands.
Still, Louden says the economic pressures facing small businesses are impossible to ignore.
"You can definitely tell the price influx that has happened throughout the years," Louden said.
Even with those challenges, many vendors say the exposure alone makes the investment worth it, especially during busy tourism weekends at the oceanfront.
"We call it free marketing," Louden said.
For Lava Bowls, the festival was also about community. Owners say being surrounded by local families, tourists, and other entrepreneurs creates an atmosphere bigger than business itself.
"We're really just happy to feed the community," Addison Evers of Lava Bowls said.
Ianna Matro, also of Lava Bowls, said the festival has helped the business reach milestones its owners never expected.
"It's really good for us because staying as a small business we didn't think we would grow as big as we are and we are able to reach new things we never thought we would be able to," Matro said.
Many of the small businesses at the festival said they also value the personal connections the event creates — not just new customers, but new friends.
From wineries and cider makers to food vendors and local shops, the Neptune Wine Festival demonstrated how community events can also serve as economic drivers for Virginia Beach businesses trying to grow their reach one customer at a time.
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