15-05-2025
The difference of local: Small businesses cater to life in the Key City
ABILENE, Texas () – May is National Small Business Month, and driving around Abilene, you will see many small businesses, which form the backbone of our local economy. We hear from two local businesses that cater to different aspects of life.
At Willow Creek Gardens, life flows through the aisle with fresh air and bright colors. The business stems from the passion of its owner, Adam Andrews.
'When I was in college, I worked for a chain nursery store called Wolf Nursery, and it just kind of gets in your blood, and this is the only way to satisfy that,' Andrews said. 'Like a child, you have a small plant, and you see it grow over the years, and you care for it and you trim it and you water and you fertilize it, and it grows up into a large plant.'
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That passion also fuels his dedication to his business, which serves customers in the Key City with the right products and plants for Abilene's hot and dry conditions.
'If you walk around and look, you can see everything that we like because that's what we pick,' Andrews said.
Although it may look a bit different, another business that celebrates life is North's Funeral Home. Current funeral owner Elliot Kirk got his passion from watching his mother as a funeral director for the Brownwood branch of the local funeral company. He said he looks at the bright side of his job, honoring life.
'We just have to celebrate the life that they lived and the legacy that they leave behind. Look on the bright side of things,' Kirk said. '[ I saw my mother] just comforting people when they're hurting and grieving. I like that she did that. Families used to come to the house when someone passed, and she would get up out of bed and go help them.'
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He said continuing his family's legacy and the funeral homes' rich 100-year history in the city means being a familiar face.
'Visit with the people here locally and just be a part of the community, so they can see you. So, when they come in, they see a familiar face, and it just makes it that much more comfortable for the families,' Kirk said.
According to the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, small businesses make up 85% of the local economy.
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