On a typical day, people purchase cookies, pick up fresh bread, book photo sessions or grab a quick drink at their local store. Each purchase adds up to something bigger in the community.
A popular small local business is Hill’s Country Store in Kaneville, which was operated by the late Pat Hill and is now run by her daughter, Alexa Hill. Hill’s Country store is a small convenience store most noted for its iconic purple exterior, with many people even referring to it as the Purple Store. The store is decorated, both inside and out, with fun stickers and signs, and they sell unique items.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Hill said. “There are not many stores like our’s out there anymore. We have hand-dipped ice cream, a little bakery, homemade food and more fun things like that.”
Businesses like these bring people together and enhance the sense of community within their area. They also give people a chance to directly support someone’s journey and interests rather than just buying from a large chain business.
“It’s nice to know that you’re directly supporting and helping a person with their business,” cookie business owner and English teacher Christina Staker said. “You’re able to know and get a sense of what your money is going towards and being used for, whereas you don’t always know with big chain companies.”
Not only do small businesses give customers a better sense of funding and profits, but they also provide memories and experiences for the owners who work with local residents.
“The best thing about my business is customer service and knowing the clients,” photographer and science teacher Joanna Edelman said. “I’ve had clients that have been coming to me for up to 12 years. I’ve seen them grow up from little toddlers to high schoolers, which is something that I can remember that a big company won’t.”
These relationships often go beyond regular customer interactions. Many small businesses also host events for the community. Hill’s Country Store demonstrates this with things like outdoor movie nights, Easter egg hunts, donation collections and more.
“We’re always really big on giving back to the community,” Hill said. “It’s just a place to make a lot of memories, especially for the kids when they come after school to pick up candy or come by with their parents to get ice cream.”
Social media has played a key role for small business owners. For some owners like Macey Merlak, a bakery owner from Sugar Grove, social media provided a great platform for her to grow and promote her businesses.
“I have scaled my bakery back quite a bit, and social media is now my main form of income,” Merlak said. “I am a natural entrepreneur, and social media has given me the space to pursue lots of exciting and fulfilling avenues as my business has grown and evolved.”
Not only is social media a great place to support a business, but it can also present people with unexpected opportunities that can be rewarding for owners.
“Because of social media, I am publishing three books with a major publishing house,” Merlak said. “I have also had the privilege of working with amazing brands on socials, as well as traveling. I hosted a group trip to Italy in 2025, and I will be hosting another trip to Ireland in March of 2027.”
The people who are brave enough to make their idea or hobby into an occupation often go through a lot of trouble to create their own business and earn their own profits.
“There have been a lot of challenges with photography, like the costs, the research and the liabilities,” Edelman said. “It also just takes a lot of research and digging into the legality of starting your own business.”
Time management can also be an obstacle for small business owners when they are also handling all of their other responsibilities.
“I have other things to do, like teaching, being a mom, helping the theater program and working on my second master’s right now,” Staker said. “I really just tend to stretch myself too thin.”
Although these challenges may overwhelm and stress them out, it is critical for business owners to keep up with their own well-being on top of everything else.
“There are busy seasons like fall and Christmas where it’s a lot for me,” Edelman said. “I really just have to make sure that I’m balancing everything.”
