More Than Coffee: How Franklin County’s Small Business Community Is Building Opportunity Together

For many small business owners in Franklin County, being successful starts long before making a sale. It starts with relationships, visibility, collaboration, and finding spaces where local entrepreneurs can learn together while also building something bigger than themselves. This was on full display Wednesday morning during Franklin County’s Small Business Coffee Social hosted at The Stables Marketplace.

The event brought local business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders together over coffee and pastries for conversations focused around small business growth, networking, and opportunity.

When you walk into The Stables Marketplace, you immediately feel the energy.

"We have just under 50 vendors here with us currently, all locally sourced, locally made,” The Stables Marketplace owner Melinda Engelhart told me. “We just like to support the community.”

“I took over the store about a little over a year ago and changed the business model, brought in new vendors,” Melinda said. “Really with the goal of trying to make sure that we keep a vibrant local community, that Franklinton as a small town remains stable, remains safe. So much of that is powered by the small businesses that make it up.”

The focus on keeping that small-town identity while creating economic opportunity could be felt throughout the entire building. It was amazing to see everyone sipping on coffee while talking about business. But watching those conversations shift to community was really powerful.

“Getting those first couple of businesses and getting the credibility when you’re starting a small business is really the hardest part,” said Melinda, who also owns local Shiplap and Sage, a locally-produced line of home fragrance products. “I found an opportunity to be on the other side and help others make that transition as well.”

The marketplace has continued to expand based on what local residents ask for. After noticing a lack of coffee options in Franklinton, Melinda added a coffee bar to the back of the store. “Everybody loves coffee,” she said, laughing. “So let’s put one in.”

The Marketplace also creates custom shirts and products for other businesses, adding another layer of collaboration between local entrepreneurs. “It’s just another way to help support and collaborate,” she said. “That’s what we’re all about.”

One of the best moments of the morning was when Melinda’s daughter, a young entrepreneur already selling her own crochet bracelets.

She walked me through the store like a professional business owner, proudly explaining how they make candles, soaps, shirts, lotions, and custom products. She talked about how she loves helping customers and supporting the family business, while also building her own small brand through her handmade bracelets. In my opinion, she completely owned the place.

She even convinced me to buy some of her mother’s lotion and offered me one of her bracelets for free in return. And yes, she absolutely sold me.

Experiences like this remind me that small business ownership in communities like Franklinton is often deeply personal. These businesses are not just storefronts. They are families, dreams, second chances, side hustles, and community investments all rolled into one.

Throughout the morning, I also connected with different business leaders and entrepreneurs, including Carolyn Perry, Director of the Small Business Center South Campus in Creedmoor, Michael Miranda, franchise owner of Hole in the Wall, Melissa Hillyard of Hillyard Accounting Solutions, and Robert Devlin, one of the owners of Mail’D It.

While the workshop I attended on Monday focused heavily on contracts, certifications, vendor portals, and bid requirements, Wednesday’s coffee social highlighted something equally important: relationships.

Government contracts may begin with paperwork, but long-term business growth often starts with community connections, visibility, and spaces where entrepreneurs can feel supported enough to keep going.

And inside The Stables Marketplace on Wednesday morning, that support was impossible to miss.