Entrepreneurship is alive and well in Jefferson City.
We recently reported on several stories that show area residents of all ages developing business ideas, filling niches and making profits.
Jude Wildhaber and other youths had displays at Saturday's inaugural Young Entrepreneur Day at J Street Market, 615 Jefferson St. Wildhaber began crocheting for fun at the age of 8. Now, at the ripe age of 14, he's turned his hobby into a business.
Among other things, he's created delicate snowflakes, doilies, shawls, tank tops, hanging lantern holders, pot holders, wash cloths, bath poufs and other colorful items.
He learned the art through attending crocheting meetings at the library and watching YouTube videos. His business, The Crochet Cage, can be found on Facebook.
Another example of entrepreneurism is RJ's Real Italian Ice, which recently won a $5,000 Pitch It and Win It competition during the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce Business and Lifestyles Expo.
RJ's Real Italian Ice owners Jeff and Rita Huff have been in business for three years and have been selling their delicious products - trust us, we've sampled it - at community events, through street-side vending and at special occasions such as weddings.
During the competition, the Huffs said they plan to package their non-dairy frozen desserts in pint containers, and their pilot project would be to have their products sold in two supermarkets, two health stores and one convenience store.
Also, Hollon Family Chiropractic was named Small Business of the Year during an awards luncheon at the chamber's Lifestyles Expo. Hollon Family Chiropractic was established by husband and wife Derrijk Hollon and Hilary Wendell in 2013. They also recently opened a second location in California.
Finally, we have a new business, the Ice Cream Factory, with enough moxie to open shop near Central Dairy and go toe-to-toe with the old-time ice cream shop. Co-owner Shannon Imler said there is a "noticeable difference" between the two ice cream shops.
"It's a premium-quality ice cream which cannot be found in a scoop shop in Jefferson City," he said of his brand.
The Ice Cream Factory will offer shop 34 flavors of ice cream - including Oreo cheesecake, gooey butter cake, peanut butter blast, and "cookie monster" with blue ice cream and cookies. There will also be 40 toppings, as well as other products.
We'll probably need several stops at each of the two ice cream shops before rendering our opinion. In the mean time, we're glad to see businesses earning profits while giving consumers more choices for new and different products and services.
News Tribune