Located on the Miracle Mile area of Stockton. The Sweet Life Boutique is one of the many small owned shops on the mile. What separates the boutique from the rest, however, is its personality according to first time customer, Jaylin Bohler. Bohler exclaims, “There are a lot of stores in this area that sell similar things, but this one has a little more character to it.” 

However, it wasn’t always this way. Pasley revealed the challenges she faced when starting off. Initially, Pasley began as a candle business in 2019 under the name, “Dulce Vida Candle Co.” Not long after, COVID-19 had hit and the lockdowns negatively impacted not only Dulce Vida Candle Co, but businesses worldwide. Additionally, Pasley had self funded since the start. “It was scary to pour all of our savings into something that we were not sure how it was going to turn out.”  

In defiance of these hardships, Pasley was not only able to achieve her goals, but give other small businesses a platform as well. Pasley shares, “I made it a point when I started my business to want to support and help out the small business community seeing as I’m also a small business.” This point is accomplished by the boutique acting as a platform for other small merchants to sell their products within the shop itself. 

One small business that sells their products at the Boutique in particular is a makeup company called Nature’s Beauty owned by licensed aesthetician Alyssa Townley. Townley expresses her gratitude in respects to the boutique. “Every single person that looks at my stuff, grabs a [display] card, or purchases something, they now know about my business.” 

As of December 2023, Pasley has been in business for three years. From starting a candle company to what the boutique has become today, the roots and struggles the business endured have not been forgotten. Pasley shares she hopes to continue to help the local small business community. “I just really want to be able to continue offering a platform for other businesses and supporting our local community.”