Celebrating Small Businesses in 2025
Small businesses are the heart of our communities. On our blog, we shared stories of Main Street business innovation, community, and growth. Here are four stories about small businesses from the past year.
Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
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In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Nicole Fleetwood and McKinzie Hodges, co-owners of Scratch Made Bakery in Amarillo, Texas.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Nicole Fleetwood and McKinzie Hodges, co-owners of Scratch Made Bakery in Amarillo, Texas. Scratch Made Bakery was selected to be featured on the podcast through a nomination from Beth Duke, Executive Director of Center City of Amarillo, an Accredited Main Street organization. Nicole Fleetwood opened the bakery in 2012 on historic Route 66 in downtown Amarillo. She came to Amarillo with her family soon after she had won an episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. Since that time, she added her bakery partner, McKinzie Hodges. Together, Nicole and McKinzie have had to pivot the business several times: When the cupcake craze peaked, they started selling macarons, cookies, and decorated cakes. In 2016, they added a brunch menu to grow their business. In the years since, they pivoted away from offering brunch items to focus more on what they love: providing baked goods and decorated cakes to their community.
In their conversation, they discuss Nicole and McKinzie’s path to entrepreneurship, how they support one another, and ways they’ve had to adapt to unexpected changes.