NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Small business applications are seeing a boom in Pasco County. Specifically, when it comes to the amount of businesses opened post-2020. According to the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, a little more than 1,600 small business applications were filed in 2023. So far, this year has seen 581 applications. It’s a trend indicating that business in Pasco County is here to stay, some say. “The primary thing for me is being local,” said Kelly Hackman, a local business owner. Standing inside one of her three Pasco County businesses, Hackman greets guests at her first store: the White Herron Tea & Gifts. “It was very important to me to share what my love is with the broader community and so,” said Hackman. “When we looked at openings of business, downtown New Port Richey was really the only place we looked to do that.” Hackman, born and raised in New Port Richey, says she knew from a young age she wanted to live and work in the city. “I’ve always had this vision of what downtown New Port Richey could be. We have beautiful shops, beautiful buildings, we have beautiful parks, we have a gorgeous river. It’s kind of like a picturesque setting for what you would consider a hallmark movie or a movie set,” she said. It’s also home to three of her businesses. From the tearoom to her latest addition, Coastline Salt Room opened in 2021. “Opening a business post-pandemic is a lot different than opening one prior to,” she said. “And that was one of the things that we learned.” Hackman said she needed to alter her approach when she launched this enterprise. People’s shopping habits had changed, and she had to learn what her clientele wanted. “What could we do?” she said. “Where does our expertise or what can we learn about and then bring to the community to utilize? And that’s why we decided to do a salt room.” It’s been a learning curve, she said. But she’s found the recipe for success for her own business and believes in her vision for the community. “We need to have a variety,” Hackman said. “Everybody has a different perspective of business, everybody has a different view of what they want their business to be and I think that’s really important when we’re building a complete, well-rounded community.” A healthy business model that may help Pasco County continue to grow. Between 2021 and 2024, there have been a little more than 4,800 new businesses in Pasco County.
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