Several Beacon Businesses Celebrate Long Time Anniversaries

Starting a business is easy. If you can make it past your dream stage. Sustaining and growing a business is no joke and takes a serious amount of motivation, stamina, deftness to change with the direction of the wind, and passion for what you do. In the past week, at least three businesses in Beacon are celebrating milestone anniversaries. Sometimes a local business that you walk or drive by becomes a fixture on the street. You may never have walked in it before, but it's always there. These businesses are like that, and over the years have earned their place as a reliable fixture in Beacon's streets. Here are their stories:

Beacon Dental on Wolcott celebrates 10 years in business.

Did you know that Dr. Hongli Wang opened Beacon Dental when her son was five? While her son was even younger, she was learning English and earning her second dental degree at NYU, after moving here from Beijing, China and leaving her first dental career behind. I attended their 10th Year Anniversary party with my own 5 year old on my hip who insisted on being carried. Any parent of a young child knows how stretched you are as a parent, not to mention as a young business owner. Beacon Dental opened in Loomis Plaza on Wolcott back when it was a rough area. Thanks to Dr. Wang's gutting her office space to build it as she envisioned it, she contributed to the ongoing improvements of that area along with other businesses who have renovated the shop spaces. Loomis Plaza is a nice extension to quick and easy access to services you need in Beacon.

Beacon D'Lites celebrates 10 years on Main Street.

Beacon D'Lights started as a home-based business in founder Donna Trappe's home where she hand poured soy candles. After three years, she outgrew the space and opened up the shop on Main Street we all know today. She attributes her early success to the support of her friends and social base. Add to that the recent tourism boom to Beacon, and the candle store is doing very well.

Blackbird Attic celebrates 5 years and counting in Beacon.

Speaking of social, Michelle Caves opened Blackbird Attic five years ago at a time when there was a shift in how many antique shops and quiet vintage stores were surviving in Beacon. Today there are several antique and vintage shops that have since closed or moved, but there are also several new vintage boutiques, plus flea markets, to compete for our fashion delights. Great for us shoppers! But it requires Blackbird Attic to stay sharp on her game. She is an early bird getting worms and always has fresh ideas about how to feature the shop in social media (her Instagram feed is how I learned of the celebration), and the styles she sells.

Congrats to these three businesses, and the rest of you who are making it happen too! And I know I speak for all businesses when I say thanks for shopping nearby, because buying local improves quality of life for us all.