The Bradenton area is seeing tremendous growth when it comes to small, local businesses, including the beloved American Honey Creamery ice cream truck, often seen at area events when not parked at a local Home Depot. Founders Mindy Converse, 23, and her sister Ali, 20, are from a fifth-generation New England dairy farm family, no doubt why their mobile creamery business is second nature to them!
The sisters, originally from Preston, Connecticut, moved to the Bradenton area when their father took a job here. They both shared a dream of going into the ice cream business and, as if guided by fate, they one day spotted an ice cream truck parked in a local storage facility. The owner was ready to sell, and the sisters were ready to start their mobile creamery business!
Their American Honey Creamery truck is seen most Sundays at a local Home Depot; otherwise, the sisters are invited to birthday parties and weddings, and are also often spotted at farmers markets and other area open air locations. To keep guests informed, Converses post their upcoming locations on their social media accounts. Despite their busy schedule, they also reserve two days per week for production, as they make all their ice cream products right in the truck, using nothing but fresh ingredients. They also prefer to shop locally, to help support the local economy.
Another area business seeing growth is The Spot, a new 4700 square foot Mexican restaurant located on First Street in Bradenton. Owner Laura Betancourt signed a lease for the space two years ago, planning on moving her open-air taco eatery from the Red Barn Flea Market to the new location, although renovations took longer than expected! Her two years of work and patience are finally paying off with the opening of her beautiful new restaurant, on Cinco de Mayo no less.
Betancourt already has a following for her handmade, acclaimed tacos, said to be some of the best in the Bradenton area. Her new location, with its comfortable seating, festive lighting displays, and expanded dining area allow her to offer even more menu options than before, including a number of various homemade burritos, quesadillas, and tostados. She also offers traditional sopes, a thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings, as well as refreshing smoothies and milkshakes. Betancourt has also expanded the menu to include natural fruit drinks, with cool pineapple, watermelon, and even hibiscus!
Former county commissioner Robin DiSabatino participated in a ribbon cutting for the new restaurant. During its opening, Betancourt was quoted as saying that it was worth all the work and effort to move into their new location, right next door to their old spot at the flea market, and that she was looking forward to serving customers both old and new.
ProClean Pressure Washing of Bradenton is proud of the work of area businesses, and proud of the residential and commercial pressure washing services they offer to Bradenton area customers. With a proprietary soft wash system that is an excellent option for house washing, roof washing, gutter cleaning, window cleaning, and all other needed power washing on your property, ProClean Pressure Washing of Bradenton is the company to call for all your exterior pressure washing and cleaning needs.