Cassie and Melisa Stone have been running Mimi's Sweet Treats, the sole bakery in Holts Summit, out of a basement for four months. Soon they will be making changes to serve a new list of customers following the first Holts Summit Community Betterment Assocation's Showcase Saturday.
The HSCBA's showcase featured local businesses to acclimate the community with the city's commercial presence while also giving business owners the opportunity to interact with each other.
"This shows businesses the value of being a part of the association," HSCBA President B.J. Davis said. "This is marketing they don't have to pay for and there's definitely a return on what they're doing.
Mimi's Sweet Treats, which will be moving to The Heart of Nashville's kitchen, had a handful of new customers following the showcase. It was just one of several businesses that made an appearance at the event.
Also on hand Saturday was LabSpace Robotics, which has offered classes in robotics for children since it opened its doors last summer. Annette Alberts mentored the 4H competitive robotics program for nine years before deciding to turn her educational program into a regular business.
Now, Alberts and her three children teach classes for grades 2 through 7 out of their home and also mentor the 4H technology club in Holts Summit. Younger students work on weekly projects that follow lessons in sensors, gears and pulleys, she said.
"The showcase allows us to show who we are and what we do," Alberts said. "People didn't know you could build robots here, that it was accessible and affordable."
During the showcase attendants had the opportunity to get professional pictures with Santa, win door prizes, sing karaoke and enjoy some of the freebies several businesses were offering. Kim Brown, a showcase attendant, left the event with her arms full of baked goods and other giveaway items.
It was Brown's first time learning about The Petite Emporium, where owner Amy Schaffer sells essential oils and provides a variety of services by selling other local business wares. Shaffer also offers something similar to a Build-A-Bear Workshop, which Brown considers a win for Holts Summit.
"This keeps money and business local," Brown said. "By keeping income here it will help Holts Summit grow. It's always good when you can keep money local instead of sending it elsewhere."
Businesses can become members of the HSCBA for $36, which includes two free showcases like the one hosted Saturday. By becoming a member, new start-ups, like Mimi's Sweet Treats, have the opportunity to to learn from business owners who have been in the game longer.
Cassie Stone said several other businesses approached her during the showcase to offer advice.
"It helps because we meet businesses here," Jenni Galbreath, the director of Valley Park Retirement Center said. "[HSCBA] helps intertwine us to become one big community."