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!
EcoPress Sacramento awarded cash prize of $20,000 and will open this spring in Old Sacramento Waterfront at The Paperworks shops on Front Street!
EcoPress Sacramento is an environmentally minded upcycling art studio that transforms plastic waste into functional art. They believe plastic waste can be reimagined into something beautiful, useful, and lasting. 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 signed a lease in Old Sacramento Waterfront and will have a workshop/retail space to bring the community together through education and creativity.
EcoPress Sacramento started as a way to rethink plastic waste, to challenge the idea that what we throw away has no value and transform it into something meaningful for our community. To now grow that vision into a retail workshop space in the city that raised me is incredibly powerful. It means creating a place where the next generation of Sacramento creatives, makers, and problem-solvers can feel inspired, welcomed, and equipped to build something of their own.
2026’s Runner-Up, BYTES Food Trucks, could receive a cash prize of $10,000 for events they host within downtown!
BYTES Food Trucks
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.
Meet the Finalist from this year’s Calling All Dreamers program!
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 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