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Business & Tech

Made in Fenton: Niche Businesses Thriving

Homegrown businesses contribute to Fenton's economy.

When Kathy Shouse decided to take her passion for baking from her kitchen to a business, the Fenton resident didn’t look far from home.

She knew the community would be supportive and welcoming for her bakery and dessert shop, . She hasn't been disappointed.

Marjie Andrejciw, a holistic nutritional counselor, was also seeking a local location close to home for her business, .

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“I wanted to ride my bike to work,” said the Fenton resident.

And when Matt Cooper was looking for a home for his ice sculpture and design company, , he said Fenton chose him.

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Fenton has become a place where you can find many niche items, from gluten-free pancakes to a customized ice sculpture. Fenton Assistant City Manager and Downtown Development Authority Director Michael Burns said he thinks a community in a smaller city does better with the niche businesses than with the big-box store feel.

"It's something we have in Fenton and something we need to build on for the future," Burns said. "We have people come from all over the state to go to the People come from all over to go to the or . is another one of those places. They bring out the community and make it stand out."

Burns said he is constantly looking to bring new businesses in, help them get settled and aid them with "economic gardening."

"Through the , we also provide press releases free of charge to any Fenton business," Burns said. "We really try to work with our businesses and give them advantages. Some communities don't do that."

Statewide efforts

Fenton isn't the only place promoting "shopping local."

The Buy Michigan campaign, which is supported by Gov. Rick Snyder, has paid off for Michigan-Made.com, which has seen a 400 percent sales growth in the past year.

In 2011, Snyder, along with top Michigan business executives, launched a $3 billion initiative called Pure Michigan Business Connect to increase purchasing from Michigan companies, help businesses access additional capital and obtain other assistance

Kathy's Patisserie

Shouse said opening in Fenton has been a fantastic experience.

“Business has been incredible our first three months. Everyone has been extremely supportive,” she said of the shop, which opened in October.

Kathy’s Patisserie features cakes, baked goods and pastries. Shouse, along with friend and baker Tammy Maquette-Powell, serves a lot of coffee along with freshly baked cookies, pies, brownies and other sweets at the bakery, which is located at 4037 Owen Road.

Pastries, such as cream puffs, Danish and éclairs, are also available. Shouse intentionally didn’t create a menu for these pastries because she enjoys the variety and flexibility of being able to try new recipes.

“We love to experiment with different ideas,” she said.

Shouse is also an accomplished cake baker. She enjoys creating stackable cakes that feature topsy-turvy designs as well as delicious, moist cakes with an infusion of flavor. She said she can take any kind of cake and put another flavor to it.

“I love to bake a cake and make it exactly their vision. That’s really rewarding to me. I like to make something that will be in their photo book for life,” she said.

Marjie's Gluten Free Pantry

Andrejciw said city officials were very helpful during her search, and she found what she was looking for at 106 S. Leroy St.

“This is a perfect fit in the heart of the historic district of downtown Fenton,” she said.

Andrejciw wants to help customers improve the quality of their lives. Marjie’s Gluten Free Pantry opened in May 2010 and is the first business of its kind in the state, said Andrejciw. The retail store carries gluten- and dairy-free products.

An extension of Andrejciw’s practice, Circle of Life Nutrition LLC, Marjie’s Gluten Free Pantry features products such as gluten-free bread, grains, dried fruit, snack items and more. She said the store strives to take the hard part out of selecting food.

“We’re really fussy about what we’re bringing in,” she said of the store, adding that she routinely asks for samples and screen ingredients to ensure that only high-quality and good-tasting food products made with wholesome ingredients are available.

Customers can also choose from an assortment of environmentally sound health care, personal hygiene and home cleaning products.

The business is part of a natural and organic food co-op. For a nominal membership fee, co-op members can place orders that are then delivered to Marjie’s Gluten Free Pantry, sorted and available for pickup.

Icon Ice

Cooper, a longtime Fenton resident, explained that he was a chef at a hotel when he started carving ice, and it naturally evolved into a business as people saw his work and asked him to create sculptures for their events. Business took off from there. That was about 10 years ago.

These days, Cooper is busy carving ice sculptures for customers, participating in local festivals and other events, teaching in Mott Community College’s culinary arts program and spending time with his family. Although a fair amount of Icon Ice’s business comes from in and around the Fenton area, Cooper also spends a lot of time on the road, from Saginaw to Detroit, for clients and events.

Cooper said he likes the creativity of his ice work. He dresses for the cold, steps into the freezer, surrounds himself with his tools and gets into a "zone" carving. He does all kinds of sculptures for weddings, banquets and other events and also carves ice luges for parties. He can incorporate corporate logos into his work as well as freeze items into the ice for a custom look.

“If there’s a will, there’s a way,” said Cooper. “I like challenges.”

It’s pretty rewarding to see people’s reactions to his ice pieces, he said. Children especially tend to express a lot of joy and have fun at events that feature ice sculptures.

The mild winter hasn’t affected Icon Ice’s business, said Cooper.

“It’s 20 degrees at Icon Ice all the time,” he said.

Contribution to community

These business owners not only want their own businesses to succeed, they want to make a contribution to the community and play a part in helping Fenton thrive.

Shouse wants Kathy’s Patisserie to help draw people to Fenton, where they can shop, enjoy dinner and then relax with her pastries and plated desserts. Her business is open 12 hours a day as she continues working toward growing a strong dessert business in the evening.

Marjie’s Gluten Free Pantry brings customers from all over the region to Fenton, said Andrejciw, adding that recent customers hailed from Clio, Brighton and Lapeer.

Even though he doesn’t have a storefront to bring people into town, Cooper’s Icon Ice receives plenty of name recognition that reflects positively on the Fenton community. He is also a member of the Fenton Regional Chamber of Commerce and gets involved with local events.

Other local items have been a hit with Fenton residents as well.

"Hands down, breadsticks," said Bill Hoffman. "Sometimes we make spaghetti at home but buy a bag of bread from them."

Marlena Bravender said ‎Your Picture Story frames are her favorite.

"It's online, but they come from Fenton," she said.

Dana Wigton said she loves "the blackberry merlot from and the dark chocolate truffles from ."

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