A downtown Fulton business will be receiving some statewide visibility over the coming days.
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced Monday that 1canoe2 - located at 413 Court St. - is among a handful of businesses from across the state that his office will promote as part of Small Business Week, which runs through Saturday.
Fitzpatrick's office will highlight the five businesses, their stories and community contributions across its official social media platforms this week, according to a press release.
"First of all, I'm sure that there's a million small businesses just like ours," said Beth Snyder, founder and creative director of 1canoe2. "I'm honored that they recognized us, but I was surprised by it, for sure.
"I am proud of what we've built here, and when I say we, it's not just me. It's my whole team of people who've been doing this through feast and famine, and we've made it. This will be our 12th year."
Snyder - a 1998 North Callaway graduate - started 1canoe2 in 2009. She employs 10 at the shop, which specializes in selling stationery, greeting cards and other gift items.
"I do feel like it's really rare and I feel super-lucky to be able to do it," said Snyder, who also graduated from the University of Missouri in 2002 with a degree in graphic design. "Not that I don't have a wrinkle for every single worry that I've ever gone through, but I just feel incredibly lucky.
"I feel like I made my dream job for myself."
Snyder also believes her role as a small-business owner is instrumental in her position as president of the Callaway Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
"I feel like I can have a really big impact on what happens in town," she said. "I feel like the things that I do can have a pretty tangible outcome, whether it's just having a storefront downtown that looks nice and it's a place for people to come.
"I feel like the insight that I have with running a business - whether it's HR (human resources) or just markets, or anything - I feel like I can be helpful to other people running a business, too."
Since 1canoe2 relies mostly on online sales, Snyder explained that the business has been able to flourish during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I'm a doer, so when things started happening, I immediately just go into high gear," Snyder said. "What could we do? What other things could we sell? What's a different way that we could sell things?
"I'm pretty inventive - I like to think of creative problem-solving. In April we had all of these projects that we started; it's like we started a bunch of fires and they all took off. By July and August of last year, we were so busy we could hardly handle it - it's a super-good problem to have."
The other businesses that Fitzpatrick's office will feature this week, include Giving Gardens in Columbia, Reborn Co. in Rogersville, Essner's Custom Butchering in Scott City and MADE MOBB in Kansas City.
"As a business owner, I understand the hard work, sacrifice, and passion that goes into starting and building a business," Fitzpatrick said in the press release. "Over the past year, Missouri's small businesses have weathered challenges and found creative solutions to keep their doors open and continue serving customers.
"I am happy to recognize their hard work and share a few small business stories this week."
The Treasurer's Office supports small businesses across the state through Missouri FIRST, the state's linked deposit program. Linked deposits partner the Treasurer's Office with Missouri lenders to provide low-interest loans to qualifying small businesses.
The program allows the borrower to save - on average - 30 percent on interest. For more information on Missouri FIRST, visit https://treasurer.mo.gov/content/low-interest-loans/.