Every time Lodene Turner passed by this empty storefront near the corner of York and 28th, she'd pause for a long moment and let her imagination run wild.
Turner's passion has always been community and finding spaces for community to thrive, whether that be forcing the city of Denver and Aurora to build more recreation centers or just taking the neighborhood kids to different parks and eateries around town.
When Turner first started gazing at the store in the Skyland neighborhood, she wondered, what could go here that would fit the community and its needs.
Then she got it.
An ice cream shop. The quintessential neighborhood gathering place because there's always room for a sweet treat. And, in the space, there'd always be room for any kid or adult looking for a spot to just hangout, relax, talk and enjoy a strangers company.
Sweet Sweetz was born in 2019 located at 2325 E 28th Ave. Inside the shop, you'll find a big checkers board, a kids corner with toys, a little dispatch station with other local business cards and of course, the sweet sweets.
The scents of various pies and cobblers hit the palate hard and would make even the most stern adult salivate. And if you don't see a pie you want, they'll make it upon request. Don't forget about the ice cream and the plentiful Blue Bell flavors such as banana pudding and strawberry cheesecake.
However the road to opening Sweet Sweetz and the journey of staying open hasn't been as smooth as the ice cream.
Shortly after the shop opened, the pandemic hit and with that came financial hardships and temporary closures. Turner said she had to cut back on hours - and hiring new employees was out of the question. Turner currently runs the shop with her two daughters, Erin and Jamie.
Things are smoothing out now, but Turner said there's a constant pull towards what's next? How can she ensure this community space stays in the community?
"I still have that community organization within me. That's what I've done pretty much all my life... that's my heartbeat," Turner said. "If Sweet Sweetz is here and all of a sudden it's not, what would happen? It's kind of like it would be back to square one for the neighborhood."
Others agree. Skyland resident Teresa Traxler Densmore once told Denverite that Sweet Sweetz is filling a business void in the neighborhood. On the block of the shop, there's at least one empty store front. Densmore also said that the shop is community-orientated, hosting events, movie nights and a space for the neighborhood kids.
"They're really just doing things to build connections in the community," Densmore said. "I just want them to continue providing the community with a safe gathering space. I want them to become a staple for our neighborhood."
So, while Turner was doing some research, she stumbled upon the Family Business Preservation Program run by Denver's office of Economic Development and Opportunity (DEDO) and the Center for Community Wealth Building, a nonprofit focused on closing the wealth gap.
The program helps small local businesses owners strengthen their operations and prepare for succession in order for them to stay in business, in place and continue to promote "multigenerational business ownership" or "community wealth."
The program also focuses on businesses in NEST (Neighborhood Equity & Stabilization) neighborhoods such as Athmar Park, Barnum, Barnum West, Clayton, College View, East Colfax, Elyria-Swansea, Globeville, Kennedy, Lincoln Park, Mar Lee, Montbello, Ruby Hill, Sun Valley, Valverde, Villa Park, Westwood, and Windsor.
Carla Castedo Ribero, the Director of Economic Mobility within DEDO's NEST section, said while reaching out to community members, she noted a need for succession plans within small businesses. Sure, siblings and cousins may be running the smaller portions of the business. For example, in a restaurant they may be organizing the menu or taking orders. But many of them weren't prepped to take over the business fully - if that's even what they wanted to do.
Castedo Ribero said, with how these businesses operate, sometimes important next steps, such as what happens when the owner is ready to retire, aren't discussed.
"The Family Business Preservation program is a unique niche because it really is about how do we keep businesses in the community? How do we build that generational success?" said Karen Bartlett, the Small Business Director with the Center for Community Wealth Building. "It's twofold...It really is looking at succession, and part of it is looking at what do those businesses need now to thrive?"
First, the program focuses on creating a succession plan, whether that be passing the business down to a next of kin or an employee.
Castedo Ribero and Bartlett agree that the program allows business owners and family members to have autonomy. Sometimes people don't want to go into the family business and that's okay. It's also okay if business owners realize they no longer want to keep the business open. Castedo Ribero said sometimes things serve their purpose so the succession planning is about finding out the right way to move forward.
Everything depends on the business owner and what they want to do. Castedo Ribero said the program is there just to help.
The program also features classes on back office support and various business tools, such as marketing and website design.
Castedo Ribero said this portion of the program provides that thriving aspect and really became a part of the program because that's what the first cohort was looking for, along with the succession plan. Owners were looking for tools to use now, so program officials looked at bringing in other businesses and resources to explain how to create a helpful website or how to promote a business via social media or word of mouth.
Overall, the program has become a resource tool. Most importantly, especially to Turner, the program offers a new community.
Bartlett said CWB will provide more one-on-one opportunities, but the overall group gives businesses owners a peer group to discuss challenges and successes.
"It can be really isolating to be a business owner. So they can come together and have more people to bounce ideas off of and hear those stories and really make strong connections," Bartlett said.
Turner agreed, saying that there wasn't a competitive edge with participants. Everyone genuinely wanted everyone to succeed. She added that she would recommend the program to small businesses to build that community base.
"Even if it's just to show up and to be able to know that there's other people that's going through the same struggles or going through worse struggles. Or you have knowledge that you can give to that person," Turner said. "Even from day-one of just showing up is a benefit. Everybody has the same struggles. Every business from the smallest to the largest."
Castedo Ribero said seeing the businesses thrive now and in the future is what's important. As the program continues, she and Bartlett would like to strengthen their relationship with business owners and continue to invite them to ask more questions and gain more resources.
To be eligible, businesses must be located in a NEST neighborhood, have annual revenue of $500,000 or less, have a desire to preserve the business as opposed to selling it off and have family members or employees interested in continuing the legacy of business. Preference is given to business owners ready to retire in the next five to ten years.
The deadline to apply is July 31st. The program will last from August until March with about 36 hours of content.
Turner said in the future she plans to continue making Sweet Sweetz a community need, providing more programming with movie nights and more game nights for the kids.
Her goal in the program was learning how to make sure Sweet Sweetz will always be a Skyland staple.
"It's an important part [of the neighborhood]. I want to be able to have something here," Turner said. "Even if it's not my kids that take over, it would be someone that's for the community. You have to be able to want to do something for other people."
