The Magnolia ice cream shop, which opened in 2008, will shut its doors by late August, said owner and Magnolia resident Jacki Burke.

She said she has already started applying for jobs in home health care in anticipation of her business closing.

“I’ve been open a year and there’s just not enough support from the community,” she said. “And a lot of the community had asked for it. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Located centrally in Magnolia near the intersection of FM 1774 and FM 1488, Burke’s store competes with nearby restaurants McDonald’s and Sonic.

Burke said she needs 50 customers a day to keep the store going and at an average of $2.25 a cone, she feels it is a reasonable price.

Members of the community had even gone to a city council meeting in May of 2008 to voice their desire for a local ice cream shop. Besides the Hutt, there are no other ice-cream only shops in Magnolia, Burke said.

“For a small business to succeed, the community needs to support it,” Burke said.

At a recent city council meeting, Burke, along with Cindy Hitchcock, owner of Trail Mix Coffee House in Magnolia, voiced their concerns to the Council during the public comment portion of the meeting about what they believe is a lack of community support of local businesses.

But they’re not alone.

“Small businesses are struggling,” said Karen Cavallaro, a senior consultant in the Small Business Development Center at Lone Star College-Cy-Fair who has been helping small businesses build in Magnolia.

“There’s a lot of fear out there and people are holding back,” she said. “Individuals aren’t spending, companies aren’t spending and this economy needs people spending.”

Since the start of the current economic downfall, many large companies and corporations have filed for bankruptcy, leaving thousands unemployed.

Among the fallen: Many businesses in the food service industry.

Metromedia Restaurant, a Plano-based company that operates and franchises popular chain restaurants such as Bennigan’s and Steak and Ale, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2008.

In August 2008, Mrs. Fields Famous, the parent company of over a thousand TCBY and Mrs. Fields Cookies stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“Restaurants are hurting quite a bit,” Cavallaro said. “I think that there’s a lot of room for a shift in personal spending. I think twice about going out to eat now; I used to go out more but that’s something that’s easy to cut off the budget.”

Operating a small business in a small town can be tough, Cavallaro said.

“I’ve heard it’s difficult because you have to know people,” she said. “If you are a newcomer, people have got to get to know you and trust you.”

The Chamber of Commerce is an important resource and is “very supportive” for any small business owner, Cavallaro said.

She also recommended that business owners factor in the location of their business.

“Location is huge,” she said.

Cavallaro’s advice to potential small business owners? Stay healthy and do your homework.

“Do your diligence on your business, make sure it's something you really want to do and that it could be successful; know what your objectives are and what’s important to you,” she said.

Cavallaro also emphasized the importance of health in the demanding world of running your own business.

“Make sure you have emotional and physical stamina to withstand the rigors of small business ownership,” she said. “Know that it’s not a joyride and you’re in for years of hard work and get a good group of people to assist you.”

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