A Florida bar for humans and man's best friend

May 29, 2023
Despite core inflation falling in April, one Florida small business is still feeling the pain of higher prices for beer and cleaning supplies.
BRK Republic even hosts birthday parties for the dogs, complete with decorations and homemade pumpkin cake.
Courtesy Lindsay Lipovich

After 9 years, LA cheese shop moves to a space of its own

May 23, 2023
Lydia Clarke's business struggled in the early days of the pandemic. Now, she says, "I know we can do it."
Lydia Clarke in front of her "happy place," the cheese case.
Andie Corban/Marketplace

Vendor fees are among the biggest expense for Reno food truck

May 18, 2023
As a small business, TukTuk YumYum Sweet Treats often struggles to reach the threshold of a bulk order when purchasing supplies. This means they often still pay retail prices.
TukTuk YumYum operates out of a 3-wheeled rickshaw the owners bought from Italy and built from scratch.
Courtesy Debey Grimes

Nearly half of small businesses believe the economy won’t improve in the next 6 months

May 10, 2023
When it comes to sales, inventory, hiring, credit conditions and more, small business owners are wary.
An April survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent business found that owners are struggling with inflation and other macro-economic issues.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Years after Brexit, a London honey shop looks beyond Europe for sources

Apr 18, 2023
Samantha Wallace of From Field and Flower considers changing her supplier network in response to changes in trade regulations and rising costs.
Beekeepers at one of Samantha Wallace's suppliers in Sweden.
Courtesy Wallace

This small-business owner hopes she can stop keeping inventory in her garage

Apr 13, 2023
Ahead of March retail sales numbers, a Seattle candlemaker shares how her economy is doing.
People create their own candles at Noir Lux Candle Bar in Seattle.
Courtesy Colina Bruce

Water ruined his vinyl, but store owner gets by with a little help from his friends

Apr 12, 2023
Phillip Rollins, owner of OffBeat, says people saw him on the news and supported his shop by helping to clean up and dry things off.
"We had a fire next door and then we had a lot of flood damage due to that fire," said Phillip Rollins. "So we lost a lot of our used records."
Courtesy Phillip Rollins

For public good, not for profit.

Bank failures have some small business owners re-thinking their own banking arrangements

Mar 23, 2023
The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have rattled some small business owners, even though contagion hasn’t spread to smaller banks.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks at the American Bankers Association Washington Summit on March 21, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The clock's striking midnight on some federal pandemic relief loans for small businesses

Mar 22, 2023
Businesses that received some federal pandemic loans could defer paying for two years, meaning most are coming due this year.
A small business owner fills out an online form for pandemic financial aid. Payments for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program are due this year.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

A Tulsa sneakers store plans for a year of uncertainty

Feb 28, 2023
For Venita Cooper, owner of Silhouette Sneakers & Art, business is up. But will it last? "The big challenge is just trying to keep engagement," she says.
Venita Cooper, owner of Silhouette Sneakers & Art, at a Valentine's Day event for the store.
Courtesy Gary Mason