Taking the ultimate field trip: How an LA entrepreneur ended up in Newburgh

Have you ever been so disappointed that a product you absolutely loved was being discontinued? Or that the only business that carried it was closing or up for sale? You probably just hoped that the next owner would make sure it was still available.

When Grace Sanchez found out that Field Trip, the Newburgh-based store that carried her favorite body butter, was up for sale, she guaranteed herself a way that she could still get it. How? She bought the store.

“About four years ago, when I visited my son and daughter-in-law who live in Newburgh, we went to Field Trip and I bought Hudson Naturals body butter,” said Sanchez, who lived in Los Angeles at the time. “I loved it so much that every time I visited them, I bought more. Last year, my son told me the sad news that the business was up for sale.”

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Sanchez jokes that her initial motive for purchasing the business was selfish. “Where am I going to get my body butter?” I thought. “But after I was introduced to Chrissy Silvestri, the previous owner, through an online meeting, I knew it was the right decision.”

Field Trip is located in the Historic District of Newburgh on Liberty Street just down the road from Washington's Headquarters. In addition to body care products, they also carry candles, clothing, pantry items, Father's Day gifts, and more.

However, Sanchez still had a life in Los Angeles as the founder of the Grace Group Fundraising company.  “I was not looking to purchase anything and definitely not looking for something thousands of miles away,” said Sanchez. “But I took a leap of faith.”

As an entrepreneur, Sanchez said she often asks others what do you value the most and does your life line up with that? “So I asked myself that and I knew that my family was the answer,” said Sanchez, who is the grandmother of a two-and-a-half-year-old and who also has another son residing in Rhode Island. “I thought it would be important to create my presence for my grandchildren here in the Hudson Valley.”

So Sanchez now travels back and forth to each coast a few times every month to keep both businesses going. She credits her success to what she calls her "greatest skill."

“My secret sauce is that I love people and I build really great teams with very talented employees,” said Sanchez. “Within the first 30 days of owning the store, I was scouting for people and brought on two team members. Then, I added another one and a production specialist. My tagline on The Grace Group is ‘I bring the fun to fundraising.’”

Buying Field Trip has become more than just having access to her body butter. “It’s also a source of fulfillment and joy, because every day that I'm at the store, it's a surprise,” she said. “I have no idea who is going to walk through the door. A couple of weeks ago I had customers coming in from New Zealand.”

Sanchez has always loved hosting get-togethers and gathering with people, and creating unique experiences. So she added that into the business. “I added a beautiful speakeasy downstairs where I host cocktail-making classes and more,” she said. “It’s a beautiful room that makes you feel like you’ve been transported back to the 20s.”

Sanchez loves what she does, but jet setting from coast to coast while running two businesses is bound to cause anxiety and stress for most entrepreneurs. Sanchez isn’t like most entrepreneurs.

“I never feel stressed or stretched,” she said. “Feeling like this is attainable. You need to identify what you value the most. I start my day with the end in mind. I envision what my children and grandchildren would say about me. I have this hope that one day my grandson will say that my grandmother bought this business so we can be close.”

While she was tending to business in Los Angeles, Sanchez kept using her body butter, the product that started it all, when a wave of gratitude came over her. “I’m grateful that I own a company that makes luxurious all-natural homemade products that are affordable,” she explained. “It’s love in a jar.”