Kevin Downey, a life-long resident of Portsmouth, has spent the last couple of years pursuing his dream of creating a business where he sells fresh, made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits. Heavens to Biscuits is the fulfillment of that dream. Downey makes all the biscuits himself, and he has become a fixture at local events such as the farmers markets in the Portsmouth area.
Downey is a local elementary school teacher, and he loves what he does. However, he always dreamed of working for himself, and that is what inspired him to create Heavens to Biscuits. He said that he knew he had the self-discipline and accountability to get the job done.
Downey is a great inspiration to others in the community, and he would love to see more people begin to follow their dreams like he did. He explained that there are always different community events looking for vendors. He finds places to go by looking on social media, where he private messages the event to find out how to register. His favorite places to sell his delicious biscuits are farmers markets, where he simply has to pay a small fee, and set up with a tent a few hours before the market begins. Downey said that working with local markets and events is super easy and helpful to the vendors. He is a proud promoter of shopping small and local, and he hopes to see more and more vendors every year.
When asked to tell a little bit about what it’s really like to run a business, Downey said that “it’s a lot of work! Especially when you’re first starting out and don’t have a lot of help. You can’t expect everyone to see your vision and help you with everything. On the other hand, it’s very satisfying and rewarding too, especially if you’re a people person like me.” While running a business has its struggles, Downey said that you have to roll with the punches and see your mistakes as great learning experiences.
You can typically find Downey’s Heavens to Biscuits stand at any local event, whether it be Portsmouth’s farmers market, shopping malls, churches or Ignite Appalachia’s Maker Market. For personal reasons, Downey is taking a brief break from selling, but he will be back to serving the community very soon.
Downey said that he ultimately dreams of opening a food truck, where he will sell his buttermilk biscuits along with breakfast and lunch sandwiches. He mentioned that it is difficult to balance a full-time job and a side hustle, but he hopes to pull it off.
