Indiana is celebrating the state's 529,000 small businesses that employ more than 1.2 million Hoosiers during Small Business Week this week.
Gov. Eric Holcolmb proclaimed Sept. 13 through 17 Small Business Week in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week to honor entrepreneurs and the small businesses that contribute so much to the economy and their communities.
"This week, we recognize the small businesses driving our state’s economy forward," Holcomb said. "The state is placing an increased focus on supporting Indiana’s entrepreneurial companies, and with their persistence and entrepreneurial spirit, small business owners are creating careers and opportunities vital to every community across all 92 counties."
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation honored small businesses across the state that worked with the Indiana Small Business Development Center to grow or pivot to new markets. BNutty Peanut Butter, which is headquartered at AmeriPlex at the Port in Portage, won Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year.
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"A minority- and woman-owned business founded by Joy Thompkins and later joined by Carol Podolak, BNutty Peanut Butter is a gourmet peanut butter producer offering a variety of flavors and gift baskets," the IEDC said in a news release. "What started as a fundraiser for youth soccer in 2014 has grown into a robust manufacturing operation with multiple production lines and a national customer base."
The National Association for the Self-Employed encouraged the public to show their support of small businesses this week by shopping local. The organization, which advocates for the self-employed and micro-business across the country, said the best way to salute entrepreneurs was by spending money at local, independently owned merchants as they recover from the coronavirus crisis.
“This week we celebrate America’s small business community, including the millions of solo entrepreneurs and mom-and-pop shops to gig-economy workers, who continue to drive and fuel our nation’s economy,” said Keith Hall, president and CEO of NASE. “They, as well as many other Americans, have been deeply impacted by the COVID crisis, but remain steadfast and persistent in their desire to get back to normal. While struggling to keep their doors open, America’s small businesses continue to keep their doors open and serving their customers. Please join me in celebrating America’s true entrepreneurial spirit by shopping local across our nation and supporting our nation’s small businesses.”
NWI Business Ins and Outs: SoHo Sweets Creamery, Balkan grocer, Filipino restaurant, dental office and furniture store open; Pepe's closes
Open
Soho isn't just a trendy neighborhood in New York City or London anymore.
SoHo Sweets Creamery and Cafe is now serving scoops of ice cream in downtown South Holland.
The ice cream shop and cafe moved into a historic home at 16129 South Park Avenue. It serves Sherman's ice cream, breakfast, lunch and Smalltown Coffee from Crown Point.
It offers takeout and dine-in in a modern but quaint ambiance.
SoHo Sweets Creamery and Cafe sells ice cream by the scoop, ice cream sandwiches, shakes, hot fudge sundaes and root beer floats. The coffee menu includes drip coffee, cold brew, espresso, mocha, latte and Americana.
Food offerings are light, such as a breakfast burrito, smoked gouda and egg on a house-made biscuit, Cajun biscuits and gravy, a parfait, an egg and cheddar croissant and brown sugar bourbon oatmeal.
SoHo Sweets is open from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Open
A new Balkan grocer is offering imported ethnic fare in Northwest Indiana.
Aroma Euro Market opened in Lincoln Ridge Plaza on U.S. 30, about a mile east of U.S. 41. The small market, which is locally owned and operated by the Krajisnik family, leased 2,100 square feet at 212 W. Lincoln Highway.
It aspires to be Northwest Indiana’s go-to spot for all things Balkan.
“We are very happy to open in this highly trafficked plaza. Aroma is a perfect fit for the area," said Myles Rapchack with Latitude Commercial, which represented Aroma Euro Market in the deal. "I have no doubt they will be extremely successful as their passion for the business showed throughout the entire process. They are going to be a great addition to Schererville and the surrounding communities.”
The store has an extensive deli selling a wide variety of sausages, bacon and other cured meats. It sells a variety of imported groceries from Eastern Europe, including mineral water, juices, sauces, seasonings, soup stocks, pasta, sweets and breakfast cereals. It also carries wine, coffee, tea, pickled fish, vegetables and cooking pans.
Aroma Euro Market is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Coming soon
Hammond's Couch Potato Furniture is now permanently inert, but it will soon be replaced by a new furniture store.
Icon Home Furniture plans to open in the former Couch Potato Furniture space at 7111 Indianapolis Boulevard in Hammond.
The retailer signed a long-term lease for the 11,500-square-foot storefront, which has been used as a furniture store since it was built in 1956. Icon Home Furniture will sell couches, dinner tables, dressers, beds and other furniture to the local neighborhood market.
“With its large showroom and open space design, this is an ideal location for a furniture store," said Antony Miocic of Crown Point-based Latitude Commercial, which brokered the transaction. "Hammond residents may remember this building as being Leonard’s Furniture for many years. I hope Icon Home Furniture stays with the community as long as Leonard’s did."
Open
Tropical Islands Cuisine is bringing "food and traditions closer to home" in Merrillville.
The restaurant at 40 W. 80th Place in Merrillville specializes in authentic Filipino-Asian cuisine like boodle sa biloa, crispy seafood kare-kare, lechon kawali, chicken curry, tropical chicken inasal, pinoy barbecue, pritong isda, pork adobo, menudo, eggrolls, noodles and jasmine rice. It offers an array of seafood, pork and pinoy dishes, as well as tropical house specials. One can get squid grilled in banana leaves, Filipino sweet-style spaghetti with Siopao pork asado or pork asado in steamed buns.
Tropical Islands Cuisine also offers smoothies, bubble teas, desserts and tropical fusion juices. It has a bar with karaoke and an Asian grocery store.
The restaurant has a buffet on Sundays and delivers free within five-miles with a minimum order of $50, so long as customers tip the delivery driver.
For more information, call 219-262-7890, email tropicalislandsllc@gmail.com or find the business on Facebook.
Open
Smiles on Randolph opened "Indiana's state-of-the-art dental med spa" on U.S. 30 in unincorporated Crown Point, just east of the Hobart city limit.
Dr. Chanbo Sim is the head of the 10,000-square-foot two-story facility at 8000 E. Lincoln Hwy. The newly constructed building features 25 dental rooms, a large conference room and private patient reception areas with the aim of providing an upscale experience.
Smiles on Randolph offers a wide array of dental services, including general dentistry, emergency surgery, restorative dentistry, cosmetic procedures and orthodontics. It also provides cosmetic services like botox fillers, coolsculpting and cold sore laster treatment.
The dental office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, visit smilesonrandolph.com or call 219-356-8000.
Relocating
NWI Eye & Laser Center is relocating to a new location at 851 Eastport Centre Drive in Valparaiso.
Chester Architectural & Construction Services will soon break ground on a new building for the eye care center.
NWI Eye & Laser Center offers an array of eye care services, including eye exams, eyeglasses, eye surgery, eye disease treatment and LASIK corrective procedures.
For more information, call 219-464-8223 or visit www.nwindianaeyeandlaser.com.
Reopen
After more than a month's hiatus to reassess because of the labor shortage, The Wurst is again serving artisan meats in downtown Griffith.
The acclaimed whole animal butcher, which got a glowing profile by a Chicago Reader food critic, reopened 130 N. Broad St.
It's debuting new international sausages made with locally sourced meat, including South African Boerewors, Linguica, Fwereh, Jamaican Goat Curry, Welsh Lamb Sausage, Morcilla and Navajo Blood Sausage. It also continues to carry sausage favorites like Polish, Italian, Loukaniko, Kolbasz, Andouille, Chorizo, Cajun Boudin, Cevapi, Longanisa and Merguez.
There's more on the way and we didn't forget Oktoberfest is right around the corner.
Open
Amici's Grill and Pizzeria opened its second location at 1409 Lincolnway in Valparaiso.
The popular Italian restaurant on Ridge Road in Highland established its second location near the Valparaiso University campus. The restaurant serves pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches and its famous garlic knots.
The Valparaiso location also have gyros plates, burgers, Greek fries, spicy baked feta, fried provolone and a Tzatziki plate.
For more information, visit www.amicigrill.com or call 219-286-6293.
Closed
Pepe's has closed in Calumet City.
The longstanding regional Tex-Mex chain long had an eatery at 943 River Oaks Drive near the River Oaks Center. The family-friendly restaurant, which has multiple locations across Northwest Indiana and Chicago, is known for its tacos, Chihuahua cheese-stuffed tacos, burritos, enchiladas and margaritas, as well as daily food and drink specials it runs throughout the weeks.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
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Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Region native Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times of Northwest Indiana since 2013.
