What makes a business stand out and thrive?
Skills, drive, communication, and faith.
This is what many of us see when we look at businesses, both big and small, within Mount Vernon. Within the last two years, one business in particular caught the eye of many from the moment it began.
Proverbs Kitchen started when a mother named Courtney Bean wanted to do more for her family without sacrificing valuable time; she still needed to be available for her husband and children.
Courtney, who previously worked on diesels, not only achieved that goal but also excelled in a very unexpected way. I personally had the Joy of watching this progression happen – quite literally over spilt crumbs.
Courtney started her business, Proverbs Kitchen, with a focus on keeping it grounded in God and listening to His plans for her. This was a true leap of blind faith that many struggle to hear out of fear of failure, but she set an example of what TRUE faith means.
Proverbs Kitchen started as a business focused on making bread and some canned items, but quickly turned into a reliable income for the Bean family. This gave Courtney a visibly noticeable drive to not simply go bigger, but be bigger.
During the local and surrounding events, a pattern began to show with Proverbs Kitchen in how quickly it was selling out. It would sell out so quickly that there was a need to close before the event was done, and many times within the first couple of hours!
This inevitably led her to become well known within the local and surrounding communities. Who could blame them, though? The bread was addictive, and so were the canned pineapple jalapeños!
These customers became regulars, and Courtney had to increase the baked goods due to the high demand she encountered. She still continues to put in what seems like endless efforts to supply a high demand to her customers, and in doing so, she isn’t just making her sourdough bread anymore, but she’s added to the baked goods she offers!
Most of her items have remained with the theme of utilizing sourdough, but she’s incorporated it into cinnamon rolls, brownies, cookies, and even, most recently, Granola!
At this point, you’re likely wondering how she represents uniting the community in faith over some sourdough bread – and that’d be a valid question. I’m here to tell you why she represents that, with being bigger in mind. Courtney progressed to regular deliveries of her baked goods and even began to work on finding a physical location to sell her products, since it had become a booming business for her. This led to meeting a very special lady with the same beautiful heart, with a focus on the community.
Frog Market, which is owned by Annie Moya, is a roadside stand that not only unites many small businesses in a huge supportive way, but it also brings together the community, built on that same blind faith Courtney showed early on in this journey of trusting the Lord. Her story doesn’t end here, though.
Courtney also played a massive role in bringing back a dying event: the farmers' market. Previously, the farmers' market had been held on the town square, and it began to be scarce on vendors. For many years, it would just fizzle out halfway through the season. Courtney, however, took yet another leap of blind faith and bore the hands of a servant. Through her efforts, yet again, something grew – and it grew big! From what has been reported, from the 2025 farmers market season alone, there were at least ~40 vendors, and this year it’s already off to a wonderful start with sign-ups.
Courtney Bean is a true work of art. She signifies what a faithful servant of God truly entails, and in doing so, she brought out a unique trait that we, the City of Mount Vernon, represent: a close-knit, supportive community built on a foundation of God.
For most, she’s the sourdough lady, but for our community, she is a representation of what a true servant's heart is like; entirely through listening to her God-given purpose – that she is actively following without question.
Honorable mentions:
• FROG Market Stand: FROG Market, Proverbs Kitchen, Dave’s Garden Creations, Barbara’s Taste Of Home, Swartz Family Farm
• Mount Vernon Main Street Alliance
