Yvonne Hines has a talent and passion for making mouth watering Southern American style homemade sweets and specialty desserts. The incredible feedback she got from friends, family and her community about her delicious treats encouraged her to start her own business, Pralines by Yvonne.
Yvonne is a single mother and worked in a low income job for the city of San Francisco when she began selling her pralines at local events.
In 2005, she came to our Bayview Business Resource Center to help expand her business. A year ago, Yvonne opened a storefront business located in the redeveloped Third Street corridor neighborhood of San Francisco. Along the way, Renaissance has provided Yvonne with vital access to resources that have helped her expand her business: through a Women and Company Microenterprise BOOST award, Yvonne has been able to develop her website, purchase professional photographs of her food and to buy an ice cream cabinet for her new store.
Her hard work has paid off - in 2007, Yvonne was recognized for her business achievements and given the Small Business Award by California State Senator Carole Migden. Yvonne is encouraged by her early success and she believes the Renaissance Center has played an important role in her achievements, "The Renaissance Center provided me with the confidence and skills I needed to start and run my own business. I am so grateful for all the help they have given me and I know they will always be there for me."
