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She Knows Where Women Can Live, Play and Work

For Maria Bowman, living and working in Escondido brings community, empowerment and balance. She moved to Escondido in the 1980s and has been working as a real estate agent and broker for most of the time she has lived here. Her business, Bowman Real Estate Services, helps clients in every aspect of real estate.

Maria Bowman’s business profile picture.

“I love to serve customers,” Bowman said. “Sometimes they want to start a business, or buy a restaurant. Sometimes to buy or sell a home. I do everything.”

Her favorite is commercial real estate and she is particularly proud of the fact that she has helped change the landscape of the Mercado District. The area defined as Mercado Escondido comprises 11 acres located along four blocks between Valley Parkway on the north, Pine Street on the east, Fourth Avenue on the south and Quince Street on the west. Intersecting streets also include Grand, Second and Third Avenues. This area is within the older urban core of the community situated between Escondido’s historic Downtown and Interstate 15. 

The area, which once thrived, became run down because most commerce only took place in the day hours leaving the evenings and nights for trouble and crime. The way Grand Avenue was cut off at the time also made it harder for people to get to the area. Bowman worked closely with the City to rebuild the area. Once the City reconnected Grand Avenue again, City staff began creating mixed-use properties, a new market, restaurants to make it family-centric once more. 

She feels much of this was accomplished because the Escondido Economic Development Department played a key role in looking at the city from an objective perspective. Bowman explained that they began looking at data about the area and discovered an opportunity to revitalize the community.

“The people who live there now contribute to protecting the community,” Bowman said. “It's good for the businesses too. You can just walk to the store or order food locally now. We changed an old image as kind of an old barrio into a vibrant community.” 

The Mercado Car Show celebrated community and traditions of California’s Indigenous people.
 

Helping others is what Bowman loves about her job. She also feels that working in real estate has given her the opportunity to meet all her goals, while it also allowed her to meet her duties as a mother.

“That’s one of the best gifts of being in real estate,” Bowman said. “You have the flexibility for a woman to still take care of whatever other obligations you have.”

Bowman also remarked that one of the upsides of COVID-19 for women has been that many industries have realized that women can work from home and accomplish all their work responsibilities simultaneously. 

“I think we might be looking at a better future for our daughters,” Bowman said.