Despite difficulties, local businesses finding their groove in St. Joseph

Owning a small local business in a market flooded with bigger chain competitors isn't without its challenges, but St. Joseph entrepreneurs are showing they can be successful. 

Rebecca Lobina, director of the Small Business Development Center at Northwest Missouri State University, has worked with thousands of businesses over the years and said she has seen the entrepreneur sector of St. Joseph expand. 

"It has grown amazing actually," Lobina said. "And the support for small businesses has grown as well, especially in the last 10 years. There's been like this grassroots effort really to grow that entrepreneur support system."

Brennon Calvin, co-owner and operator of Seventh Street Cafe in Downtown St. Joseph, is one of the city's growing group of entrepreneurs. He and his partner took control of the business last July and said he's proud of the accomplishments they've made.

"In the first six months that we've owned it, we've got our own website launched, which is harder than it should be," Calvin said. "We've collaborated with a lot of the businesses Downtown. We were doing the Wine Walk and we did the Taylor Swift Brunch, Shop St. Joe. We joined the Downtown Association and the Chamber of Commerce, which is really cool to network with some of the other local businesses. We achieved a catering goal that we set that was kind of lofty, but we crushed it. We doubled it actually." 

The Seventh Street Cafe, located at 114 N. Seventh St., also has been inspired by a new nearby venture, adding a new kids' menu to entice families.

"With inspireU (the children's discovery center) coming here, it was a big deal that we wanted the families and the kids to feel included," Calvin said.

Seventh Street Cafe also partnered with the Roasterie in Kansas City to create a unique coffee blend, called "Seventh Dimension."

Across town, another local entrepreneur is celebrating a big accomplishment with the expansion of her business to a physical storefront. Balloons D'Lux began operating in 2022 and opened at 3508 N. Belt Highway in November.

Owner Johanna Kline said the idea of opening a small business was scary, but she felt she had a niche to fill in St. Joseph.

"The fear kept pushing me back, but I just pulled the trigger and I was like 'Well it is what it is, we'll try it and I'll focus on what I love doing and giving good customer service and giving the community something they really needed,'" Kline said.

Kline said she finds the St. Joseph community to be a supportive one for small businesses.

"The customers of St. Joseph, I think they really love that small business feel, you know that one-on-one where you call and someone actually picks up the phone," she said.

Hazel's Coffee, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, not only has sustained success but also has built on it. Heather Mitchell has owned the coffee shop with her husband for the past five years and said she has enjoyed watching the business grow.

"Hazel's in the last five years has grown to two locations, as well as two mobile locations and one licensee," Mitchell said. "So, to me that's pretty big, being a team of, there's 12 of us employed here."

Kline encourages people who are considering starting a small business to do so.

"I would say if you're thinking about getting a small business and you see a need in the community, just do it," she said.

Lobina said watching local entrepreneurs succeed is rewarding.

"There's no better feeling than to see people start a business, grow a business, expand a business," Lobina said.