Fox TV Covers City Street Sweets Break from the Recession by: MickeyM
July 29, 2010
"I came right into a recession and I was shocked of course," Ashworth said. "My business plan just went out the window there."
Despite it all, Ashworth is still making chocolate and still smiling.
But others aren't.
A new study shows many in Florida are worried about their bottom line. Researchers at the University of Florida say people's confidence in their own finances is at an all-time low, and they're just as worried about where their bank accounts are headed.
The study comes just as consumer confidence nationwide has fallen to the lowest level in five months.
Many families are spending less and saving more. When they do spend, they're making every dollar count.
Trang Burnett says she and her three little boys love making a trip to their favorite candy store.
"It doesn't have to be like spending too much, but this is like a little treat for me and them," Burnett told FOX 13.
Nearly three years after opening City Street Sweets, Ashworth is still hanging on and even thriving, despite the economy. In fact, his business is one of the few still open in Hyde Park Village.
"Starting a business during a recession, there was so much heartache and after the years has gone by, especially the last couple years, I wouldn't give it up for anything," he said.
Even so, he's not taking anything for granted. Like so many others, he's saving every penny he can.
"Oh yes, definitely!" he said about saving his hard-earned cash. "[I'm] trying to, anyway. You have to because you don't know what around the corner is going to happen."
Researchers at UF blame all of the uncertainty on the job market and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They say the spill happened just as the economy was starting to show signs of improvement.
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