small town

Rural Change at the Speed of White Lightning

March 25, 2009

A few weeks ago I mentioned that a vote was taking place in my area as to whether ‘liquor by the drink’ would be allowed and become legal in the ‘downtown’ of my county. Here’s what I said earlier this month: “The choice to sell alcoholic beverages or not is still a controversial one in [...]

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Musical Chairs on Main Street

March 24, 2009

Retail shops on Main Streets all across rural America are playing musical chairs, with some shops closing due to tough times while others see opportunities to start their own businesses. In ‘Small Shops Slump, Soar in Region’s Downtowns’ you can read about the trials and tribulations of shopkeepers in small town Delaware, Ohio: “Although at [...]

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Multiple Streams of Income in Small Towns

March 11, 2009

This past weekend, my husband and I were out for a drive on our local country back roads and passed through several nearby small towns. We were struck by the signage on many stores, where we saw not one business, but listings of multiple services and businesses within the same four walls. Our feeling was [...]

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Welcome to the Backroads Business Blog

January 1, 2009

Welcome to Backroads Business where we explore the challenges of creating and growing rural businesses located on the backroads of small town America. Our areas of discussion will include home business, small business, rural business, seasonal business, mom and pop businesses, arts and craft businesses, artists, farms (agritourism) and tourism.