BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Maritza Ruiz and her husband, Enrique Ruiz, opened Rocket Fizz in Bakersfield in 2020.
“When Enrique and I were in the Marine Corps, we were big fans of watching Undercover Boss,” said Maritza Ruiz. “We watched every episode, and we saw an episode for Rocket Fizz and we thought it was like such a great idea.”
Despite the challenges they faced during COVID, the Ruiz family says the Bakersfield community has been supportive.
“The community just, they showed up and so it’s been a very humble, welcoming experience for us,” said Enrique Ruiz.
Five years later, things took a twist.
On July 1, 2025, the store posted on Instagram that they would be closing their doors at the marketplace.
“You start pondering your final year…” said Enrique Ruiz, “Whether as a family, does it make sense for us to continue that venture or do we call it quits momentarily?”
The community responded.
Maritza Ruiz said, “As we announced that we’re closing, these were the types of messages that we’re getting—direct messages saying, ‘I’m so bummed.’ ‘This is the store where I take my special needs brother and he has his boy night here and it just makes it very special for him.’”
Then, a call from the Town and Country Village offered a space to the business.
“At the end of the day, we were able to agree on the negotiation, and we’re excited that our doors are no longer permanently closing, but we’ll continue this dream that we had,” said Maritza Ruiz.
The store will shut on July 26, before launching its new location off of Stockdale and Coffee toward the end of summer.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
