By Kallie Young
COMM 3365
Bell County was established, in January 22, 1850. More than 170 years later, businesses are still being added and growing within Central Texas.
One of those businesses is Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, located in West Temple. The owner of the Temple franchise, Lynn Reichl, has been more than ecstatic that Jeremiah’s has been the one stop shop for one’s treat needs. Since the Temple location originally opened Sept. 1, 2020, it has grown with Reichl’s initial vision.
“I originally wanted to learn more about Jeremiah’s when I went to their headquarters in Orlando,” she said. “Once I did, I knew that our customer service ideologies aligned perfectly and that getting the community together through Italian ice was something I wanted to do.”
Jeremiah’s has built franchises in multiple states including Texas, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
While some franchises come to the area from across the country, some home-grown start ups end up blossoming into bigger and better franchises. Since starting in a food truck in downtown Belton, Granny’s Shaved Ice recently expanded. “I am super excited to be able to expand,” says Skylar Stewart, co-owner of Granny’s. “What started as a simple idea after our great-grandmother turned into such a fun experience and business. We just want to make people smile.”
Along with opening in a physical store, they have been able to expand the menu as well. “I’m excited about adding acai bowls as well. It definitely serves as a healthier option for our customers,” Stewart says. These expansions will allow Granny’s to flourish in a more encompassing environment for the Belton community.
Another highly consumed good loved by many is a simple cup of coffee. After a zoning change in 2019, a residential home off of W Avenue R in Temple became a coffee shop. Greg Burnett, a coffee enthusiast and owner of 1914 Coffee House, decided to turn the home into a place many have grown to know and love. “It is a great spot to be that’s kind of away from everything, and we didn’t have to worry about a ton of traffic,” Burnett said. “Being close to Baylor Scott and White hospital offers a benefit to that specific community as well.”
Food and beverages are not the only business taking advantage of the growing area. Home to many of the Christian faith in Bell County, Vista Community Church has been expanding too recently than ever. Lead Pastor, Austin Fischer, shared his excitement about the expansion during his sermon on Jan. 21. “We are so happy to be able to expand the church by adding a new student environment and a new kids wing, and an expansion to our auditorium to hold around 1,100 people per service within the next year or two. I am so excited that we get to continue to talk about Christ with more and more people over the coming years.” The church originally was founded and established in 2006 by a few families who wanted to continue teaching others about Jesus Christ, Not particularly because there was a lack of churches, but because there were still so many people in the area who still hadn’t heard about Jesus. What originally started as a portable church located in Belton High School is now an ever-growing community. “We’re just making room to love more people,” Fischer said.
Clover + Co., a local boutique, sprouted from a conversation between two best friends Brittany Thornton and Jenny Anderson, who wanted to find a way to make a living while spending time together. Clover + Co. opened its storefront in Salado, Texas, in 2022. The boutique relocated to a historic house on Belton’s Main Street in November 2023 after Thornton stumbled across a for lease sign at their dream location. After Thornton walked around the house that night, Clover + Co. moved into its new location two weeks later. The boutique sells clothing, accessories, and jewelry. It also hosts a variety of other local small businesses that set up day booths in their store.
Anderson said, “Community is everything. Not just my shoppers but also other small business owners. I firmly believe I would not be where I am today if I had not embodied the mindset of building each other up in our community, regardless of if you do the same thing I do. Community is everything to our business.”
The Commonwealth is a new business coming to Belton with much to offer, including pickleball, elevated Texas cuisine, bourbon, craft cocktails, retail, live music and events. The concept of The Commonwealth came to be three years ago on a beach in Mexico when brothers-in-law Josh Pearson and Jerrod Wittman were thinking of a way to create something together that would “impact the lives of people,” said Wittman. The overall development of the concept took around two years, and shovels “hit the dirt” in March of 2023. The idea initially started with a small storefront of 1,500 square feet but has grown into a 10,000, square, foot facility on 15 acres with a bar, full-service restaurant, event venue and pickleball courts currently being built in Temple, said Wittman.
Belton became the destination for The Commonwealth because of both what Belton had to offer and what The Commonwealth had to show it. “We want to still support the restaurants that are down West Adams and bring more foot traffic and destination traffic to this whole area. We think this is a spot that hasn’t seen anything like this, ever. You have the pull of wanting to develop the community, and at the same time, you want it to be a small town. It kind of fits this anomaly of where we are with what we are,” Wittman stated. “We’re 100% open to the public after our official opening. You don’t have to be a member to come have lunch or dinner, play pickleball, or listen to live music...At the end of the day, we just want to be a place people call home,” Wittman said.
RoJo Salon and Boutique, located in Temple, opened its doors eight years ago. The salon offers various services including haircuts, highlights, Brazilian blowouts, extensions, etc. Owner Kelly Mach, shared that when she first opened RoJo, she didn’t know much about business but knew creating a positive and authentic community was essential to her. “I wanted to create a place where clients want to spend time, be comfortable, and feel at home,” she stated. I also wanted to create a brand that the community knew for more than just our services. I do my best to donate services, product or money to various organizations in the community. In the end, the community is what has led to RoJo’s success, so we want to do our best to serve it. We want to offer an experience and not just a service”
CrossFit Centex opened January 2024 in Belton. Owner Lisa Story stated that she and her husband, Jeff, purchased the gym after the previous owners shared that they were going to close it. According to Story, the previous owners owned the gym for 14 years before selling it.
Story shared how they only wanted to make minor changes to the gym and maintain the atmosphere the gym already had. “The atmosphere here as a CrossFit gym is all about community support and encouraging each other. So, it’s just like a really friendly, welcoming, supportive environment,” she explained. Story shared that the gym hosts community events such as 5Ks and health and fitness events, inviting people to bring their friends and family to participate.
