Hard work and good fortune paid off for a local woman to fulfill her dreams.

Aaliyah Jaremko, a bartender at Tumbleweed Bar in Gardner, first came across the idea to operate her own beverage vehicle after attending her boyfriend’s cousin’s wedding in Emporia over last summer and experiencing a mobile bar called the Turquoise Tavern.

“I said oh my gosh I could do that,” she said.

Jaremko said she found her trailer for $800 at a garage sale after looking at horse trailers that were out of her price reach.

Her boyfriend helped her turn her dream into a reality by rehabbing the trailer for her. Jaremko said he has been an amazing support in helping her fulfill her vision.

“No way could I have done it without the help of Jimmy Page,” she said. “He has been so supportive.”

Their first event was Feb. 10 at the Ash and Anvil Cigar Lounge downtown. Jaremko served Old Fashion cocktails, beers, seltzer, wine and scotch whiskeys to coincide with their guest cigar maker and Eat Schimdt KC food truck.

Jaremko said she had fun doing her first event, learned some things and enjoyed meeting new people.

“It was a win-win for both of us,” she said.

Jaremko said they had a good turn out at her first event despite the cold temperatures.

“I was impressed,” she said. “It was worth the time, and I am happy to go back.”

Jaremko said she learned that she will need a space heater on the cold event days and continue to work on educating people about staying within the boundaries of the trailer and event spaces with their beverages.

She is currently a Johnson County Community College student studying horticulture and has bartended at Tumbleweed Bar and Grill the past six years.

Jaremko said even though she loves her regulars at Tumbleweed, she hopes to make the mobile beverage trailer a full-time career and has already received many inquiries on her business.

“I think Gardner needs this,” she said.

Jaremko said starting the business seemed big and scary at first, especially when the City of Gardner didn’t want to approve her business at first.

“I don’t think they understood the purpose even though I had done all the required legal stuff, paperwork and insurance,” she said.

Jaremko had reached out to the Kansas Alcohol Beverage Company and paid a little over a thousand dollars to complete the paper work and receive her license.

“It is a process,” she said.

Jaremko has been learning as she has gone along and enjoyed creating beverage menus for different events. Her next event is at Moonlight Elementary where her kids attend school for their Glow Night after the PTA reached out to her interested in having a beverage cart for their event. All drinks crafted and served will be non-alcoholic.

She will be partnering with Trails Café on Sunday, March 5 to serve mimosas and Blood Marys. She will then return to Ash and Anvil for St. Patrick’s Day.

Jaremko said she enjoys fast events with multiple people. She doesn’t plan on having set prices.

Jaremko said her bartending experience the last few years at Tumbleweed and having regulars has helped her get to know the Gardner community more. She looks forward to continuing to serve in a new capacity through her dream and vision.

“Small businesses here have each other’s backs,” Jaremko said.