May is a month of celebrations. We show appreciation to our moms on Mother’s Day, and on Memorial Day we honor those who served our country and are no longer with us.
May also is Small Business Month, created to pay tribute to small businesses and small-business owners and to acknowledge the impact small businesses have on their communities.
Small businesses make up about 99.9% of all businesses, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce. There are about 33.2 million small businesses in America, according to the most recent information released by the chamber.
The Villages is home to hundreds of small businesses, from retail stores to home decor shops, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and more.
Some of the businesses are owned by first-timers, others by people with long careers in the business world. All of them are focused on serving residents of The Villages and surrounding communities.
“Small businesses and their contributions are extremely important in Sumter County,” said Kristy Russell, economic development director of Sumter County Economic Development. “These businesses are considered the backbone of our community as they contribute many job positions and support our local economy.”
Nationally, small businesses accounted for 17.3 million, or 63%, of the new jobs created from 1995 to 2021, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Small businesses were responsible for about $413.3 billion, or 97%, of export value and 43.5% of the nation’s gross domestic product, according to the chamber.
Locally, small businesses are an intrinsic part of the community. Estelle Krasinski, owner of Darlin’s Sweet Shoppe, a bakery that sells cookies, cakes, ice cream and other sweet treats in the Market at Sawgrass Grove, believes that small businesses not only help communities economically but also help create better environments.
“It’s all good and fun to go to Starbucks and Publix, but I think people really love to actually meet the business owners,” Krasinski said. “I think people really get to know me, and they love that.”
She believes customers have a more personal experience at a small business.
Krasinski opened her bakery when the Market at Sawgrass Grove opened in the summer of 2022. It is her first business.
“It was a childhood dream,” she said of becoming a business owner.
Krasinski said she played with a pink Barbie cash register as a child and her favorite Christmas tree ornament was one that pictured candy and cookies. She worked a corporate job for a few years in New York before she decided to take a chance on her dream.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” she said. “It was a perfect opportunity to take.”
Business has remained strong in the two years since opening, and Krasinski and staff gained many regular customers along the way.
Krasinski’s venture as a first-time small business owner is a dream shared by many. About 5.4 million new business applications were filed in the U.S. in 2021, a record, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Saqib Sohail and his wife, Ruqqia, decided to try their hand at being business owners last December when they took over Golden Hills Coffee Roasters at the Market at Sawgrass Grove, changing the name to Premium Roast.
Saqib loves coffee, and said he wanted to have more control of his career and life.
“It was to have a degree of control of the operations and functions of the small business, and also to give me the flexibility to build a private brand or my own brand of the coffee that we serve,” Saqib said. “Also it gives me more freedom to introduce new products, remove products that do not fit our strategy, and make sure that the business is rooted in local values.”
Premium Roast offers a variety of coffee drinks such as espressos and lattes, as well as teas and breakfast items such as sandwiches and muffins. Saqib plans to add cold brew teas and smoothies soon.
Many new businesses have opened in the community in recent years, with others expanding to more locations.
“Sumter County and The Villages community offer a desirable, beneficial and strategically advantageous location for a diverse mix of businesses,” Russell said.
The Standard Coffee CLCL, a coffee lounge and Christian library, opened its first location in Spanish Plaines Plaza in February 2020 and quickly expanded to open a second location inside the Center for Advanced Healthcare at Brownwood in June of the same year.
Brylah Fashions also expanded into The Villages from Lady Lake, opening a location in Spanish Springs about five years ago.
Within the last year the community has seen the addition of establishments such as the eyeglass store Shades on the Square Eyewear in Spanish Springs, the clothing store Betsy’s Boutique in Lake Sumter Landing, and the home decor and clothing store Love Home Harmony in Spanish Springs.
Carolyn Wood, owner of Love Home Harmony in The Villages, owns another location in Mount Dora, which she opened in 2016.
Wood wanted to expand her store to The Villages because in the last few years she has gained many customers from The Villages at her Mount Dora store. She also sees many Villagers at her other business in Mount Dora, Lemon Drop Market.
She was looking for the right spot, and when a space opened up in Spanish Springs, Wood jumped at the chance to have a store in this area.
“It’s everything I thought it was going to be,” Wood said. “We’re excited to be here.”
Senior writer Summer Jarro can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5404, or summer.jarro@thevillagesmedia.com.
