Calling All Dreamers
Downtown Sac’s Brick & Mortar Business Incubator
Open Your Business Downtown
Calling All Dreamers is a business incubation program that assists entrepreneurs in building out their business plan and looking at potential storefront locations in Downtown Sacramento. Every year, ten business concepts are chosen by the selection committee from the applicant pool to participate in the program. The application requirements are listed below. Any participant in the Calling All Dreamers program also needs to be willing to open and operate within the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s district.
During the program, participants learn from regional entrepreneurial leaders who assist them in building out their business plan and financial projections. They attend 10+ business workshops that focus on a variety of relevant topics including marketing, HR policies, workplace safety, team building, financing options, permitting, pitching to investors, and more.
After several months, the top concepts are chosen to move forward and are eligible to receive a cash infusion into their business provided they complete the program and sign a lease in our downtown district within one year!
Pittador Brews Specialty Teas & Coffees awarded cash prize of $20,000 and is now open in Old Sacramento Waterfront at 1005 2nd Street!
A unique café experience in Sacramento, Pittador Brews Specialty Teas and Coffees offers premium teas, coffees, craft beers, meads, and pet-themed drinks. Their mission to provide a vibrant, pet-friendly community space that fosters human connection and appreciation for high-quality beverages.
Pittador Brews has been in operation for nearly five years. The business has regular appearances at various farmers markets throughout the region as well as at the California State Fair and Cosumnes River College. Also operating as a wholesale vendor, the owners have now opened a brick-and-mortar location to better serve the community. The business name is based on their love of their two favorite things: dogs and a freshly brewed hot beverage. With their new all-electric roaster, they provide beans from a variety of countries including Malawi, Sulawesi, and Nicaragua and source dozens of unique teas from across the world.
The Calling All Dreamers program has given us the mentorship, resources, and support needed to take our vision from dream to reality. With our lease secured in Old Sacramento, the funds we receive will go toward staffing and upgrading to an all-electric coffee roaster, allowing us to roast in-house.
Last year’s Runner-Up, Haus of Comedy, has received a cash prize of $15,000 after signing a lease!
Haus of Comedy
Haus of Comedy is a fun-loving company that offers teen and adult improv classes, live comedy shows, and workplace team-building sessions. Haus of Comedy will expand upon the concept and operate an independent improv and sketch comedy theater whose mission is to provide a unique space for creativity and connection, making the Central City a better place to live, work, and play.
Meet the Finalists from this year’s Calling All Dreamers program!
BYTES
BYTES is an outdoor community-driven culinary space in the heart of Sacramento, designed to spotlight local food vendors, emerging chefs, and vibrant cultural events. With a rotating lineup of food trucks, special guest pop-ups, seasonal festivals, and live entertainment, BYTES offers a dynamic, immersive dining experience.
EcoPress Sacramento
EcoPress Sacramento is an environmentally minded art studio that transforms plastic waste into functional art. They use HDPE #2 and PLA plastics by melting down discarded bottles and products and turning it into jewelry, keychains, home décor, furniture, and other items. They hope to have a workshop/retail space to bring the community together to educate and create.
Pizza Knights
Pizza Knights is a husband-and-wife–run business rooted in creating great pizza, community, and good times in downtown Sacramento. They make naturally fermented, East Coast–inspired pizzas using locally sourced ingredients. Guided by the belief that good food brings people together, their goal is to serve the best pizza and create a space where everyone can share a seat at the table and make memorable moments together.
Wonderson’s Company
Wonderson’s Candy & Coloring Co., Polly Pie’s, and Sweetpea & Snookums Whistle Stop Play Shop make up a family run, family fun, three-shops-in-one company consisting of an imaginative handmade candy and coloring book store, a cat-themed cafe and a toy shop. They aspire to open in the Old Sacramento community where play, fun and sweetness come to together for visiting families, tourists and the young at heart.
Thank You to our Calling All Dreamers 2025/2026 Sponsors!
Previous Open Participants
Since 2013, Calling All Dreamers has helped over 35 business owners open storefronts downtown and across Sacramento. The program provides participants with a collaborative network of entrepreneurs and mentors, so creative business concepts can thrive as physical locations.
Learn More
Prize Package
Taking a business from a dream to reality is a complicated task, and the first year is usually the most difficult for small businesses. Downtown Sacramento Foundation, with the generous support of Calling All Dreamers’ sponsors, assists the winner in navigating the challenges of its first year in business.
Prize Package