by Mary Gadberry
February 5, 2024 – Patrick Palmer, owner of Little Valley Goods developed and sold here in Clovis, recently won the Student Entrepreneur Award at the Valley Business Awards 2024 sponsored by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.
Little Valley Goods was started by Patrick in 2021, when he was just 15, with a sugared almond business he learned about through his Future Farmers of America advisor. Patrick not only sold the almonds; he learned how to harvest, make, and package them.
Patrick gained sales experience with his Friday evening Farmers’ Market booth, and used the proceeds to purchase a laser engraver/printer.
With the $3,000 he’d saved up, and a $1,000 loan from his dad, Patrick was able to launch his dream business of designing and executing wood creations.
Through an organization called Central Valley Young Entrepreneurs, Patrick had the opportunity to be part of the Children’s Business Fair held during ClovisFest.
CVYE was founded by Mykel Suntrapak, and offers children from ages 6 to 17 mentoring and assistance to get their businesses up and running.
The Children’s Business Fair also allows the young entrepreneurs to have a venue to sell their unique products.
Patrick first learned about the program through a Facebook ad in the summer of 2021, and credits the program with helping him grow the business.
Promoting his self-designed wooden décor and charcuterie boards, Patrick had a very successful event, and suddenly he found himself with almost more business than he could handle.
To solve that problem, he purchased a second laser and also refurbished a vintage horse trailer to transport and display his merchandise at craft fairs.
He completed the work on the horse trailer during his junior year in his high school shop class, with the help of his friends and his dad, and the suggestions of his advisor.
Now a senior at Clovis High, Patrick has been selling his wooden and leather creations and engraved Stanley cups at Eye Candy Fashion Boutique at 756 Pollasky in Old Town Clovis for nearly a year.
He also sells his products on his website at littlevalleygoods.com, where you can see examples of his custom work as well as his standardized boards.
Once Patrick graduates from high school, he will have more time to devote to the business, and is building a workshop in his backyard to be able to add more custom work.
Patrick is receiving notice from major companies, and would also like to expand into other markets, like Sacramento and San Luis Obispo. He plans to major in Ag Education at CSU Fresno next year.