A lack of mentorship can be a barrier to women owning their own business, but in Miamisburg, there's no shortage of strong women leaders and peers in what BlushN'Grey Boutique manager Katie Hale calls a "tight knit little family."
BlushN'Grey is one of the four new businesses started. The burst in new businesses was jump-started when Lyndsey Rhodus opened Spoonful, an edible cookie dough shop last April.
»PHOTOS: Downtown condo with open floor plan hits market
When Rhodus moved into her Main Street location, she said women who owned established businesses immediately came to offer support and ideas.
"We know that we're all women down here, so it's kind of like we want to see each other succeed in what we're doing,so just like collaborating on ideas and when we have questions or whatever there's someone to turn to," she said.
While thriving with women owners, the downtown area still is low on retail, Biederman said. She opened her shop to pave the way for more small retailers to open in the area. Since then boutique L&E Co. has opened down the street.
»PHOTOS: Luxury home with tennis court, 6 bedrooms on market
“Just in the next couple years, it’s going to be like exponential growth,” Biederman said. “I mean, I just think it’s gonna be huge…There’s a lot of things that you just don’t know about until you’re down here. There’s a lot of new restaurants popping up. There’s a photography studio. There’s all kinds of stuff.”
• Lowes to hire for jobs at local stores; need 65K nationally
• 10 changes coming to local shopping venues in 2019
• 5 outbreaks, food-related illnesses that impacted Ohio in 2018
• 10 new flights added at local airports in 2018
• Local experts: Avoid New Year’s resolution scams, read the fine print
About the Author