Cape Life in Cape Coral is the epitome of a small, local business.
Hayley Brown is an employee at the shop, which sells sun shirts. She grew up in the Cape, and has seen it grow over the years, too.
“It went from a sleepy little town to just a really big concrete jungle,” Brown said.
But for all the people who’ve moved to the Cape, getting businesses to the city – the types it needs – hasn’t happened as quickly.
“We do have an extensive need for additional commercial,” said Sharon Woodberry, the city’s Economic and Business Development Manager.
She explained the challenges the city faces: from the way the city was created – pre-platted with mostly small, residential lots – to the fact that it isn’t right along I-75, to the reality that, in north Cape, there is land to build on but there still aren’t utilities.
“In economic development, the challenge is that sometimes they need to be able to move forward on a project now,” Woodberry told NBC2. “If you're not ready, they're going to move somewhere else."
Another challenge is the kind of businesses in Cape Coral.
The city wants to attract companies that will attract professionals, like businesses in light industry, technology, and medical services.
There’s a temporary moratorium on new car washes and storage units because so many have been built in recent years.
“There are some missing components to it in terms of job growth coming from those,” Woodberry explained. “It's not generating any economic impact.”
Despite the challenges, Woodberry touted programs and incentives the city has implemented to attract businesses, and said there is momentum in the form of new projects.
Among those is a mixed-use development in south Cape Coral, The Cove at 47th, and another mixed-use project planned along Pine Island Road that Woodberry said will bring stores and shops that are badly needed. It’s called Coral Grove.
“We're really excited to see those projects happening,” Woodberry said.
At Cape Life, as the city around them continues to grow, they hope to see more of themselves in it: small businesses that are big in character.
“Supporting local is honestly in my opinion =what's going to bring our community together,” Brown said. “And maybe bring Cape Coral back to its roots.”