Two women set up shop in Bella Terra Plaza

Two women set up shop in Bella Terra Plaza By Danielle Vaughn/News-Sentinel Staff Writer Lodi News-Sentinel

Karen Baumgartner and Lucrecia Quesada are prime examples of how women can succeed in business.
After years of doing things someone else’s way, they are now doing things their own way and are enjoying doing what they love to do.
The two women recently opened up their businesses at the Bella Terra Plaza on Kettleman Lane.
Karen Baumgartner has owned Thrive Health and Wellness for four years and moved into the Bella Terra Plaza on Monday.
“I was tired of working hard for someone else,” Baumgartner said when asked why she decided to start her own business.
She was previously located across the street near Little Caesar’s.
“It’s a better location because we were next to Little Caesar’s hidden in the back, and this location is more of our demographic,” Baumgartner said.
Thrive specializes in health and fitness. Customers can come in and get healthy meal replacement shakes, teas and aloe shots.
“We help people get healthy,” Baumgartner said.
They can also get help customers with putting together healthy meal plans and workouts. Thrive offers wellness evaluations and fitness classes and helps people wanting to lose weight or get toned.
“We have access to personal trainers. We have people on our team that can help you modify your routine so that you find time to work out,” Baumgartner said.
Fitness classes and evaluations are free.
“We don’t charge anything to help you train. You just have to have the motivation to do it,” Baumgartner said. “As for our expertise and helping you get there, we don’t charge for that.”
Baumgartner competed in the International Physique League six months after giving birth. She was 111 pounds and had only 11 percent body fat and won third place. She said her Thrive team helped her to get there by showing her how to eat and exercise.
“Whatever your goal is, we’ll help you get there,” she said.
She is currently training others for the next competition.
Lucrecia Quesada is a former computer engineer and university professor-turned-business owner. She opened her kiosk Crystal Roses Bistro on Friday.
“I love to cook everything from scratch with fresh ingredients. I’ve been having that passion since I was a little girl. My mom is a great cook,” Quesada said. “I used to work for a big company for 12 years. I just wanted to start working for myself. I guess I got tired of working for somebody else and just wanted to follow my dreams to have my own little place where I can cook and do my own recipes.”
At Crystal Roses Bistro, customers can get fresh paninis, homemade tortilla soup, salads, wraps and fresh baked goods.
“Everything is from scratch,” she said.
Items range from $6 to $10.
Quesada said she loves to cook and provide customer service as well as provide a quality product.
“I wanted to make Crystal Rose Bistro a place where the families and customers come over and enjoy a good panini,” she said.
She hopes to provide employment for college students in the community and help bring more traffic to the plaza.
One day she hopes to provide afternoon tea with her very own brand of tea and fresh baked goods.
She plans to hold a grand opening in the coming months.