BOCA RATON, Fla. -- It's one of the best cities in the nation to open a small business and according to a study by Wallet Hub it's right here in Palm Beach County.
At Mela Artisans pop up shop in Boca Raton you'll find each piece has a story.
"I saw the artist make this," Navrose Mehta said. "He does it complete without any tools."
Mehta is the man behind the popular brand of home decorations. He started this company 9 years ago with his daughter.
"The brand was to create employment and empowerment for artisans communities in India," Mehta said.
Now, the company has contracts with more than a thousand artisans in India. Each piece is handcrafted and sold in different retail shops around the globe. Their warehouse and first branded store is right here in Boca Raton.
"Well I happen to live in Boca and I think Boca is a very cosmopolitan, global audience," Mehta said.
This is just one of many locally owned businesses in the city. According to Wallet Hub Boca Raton is the 14th best small city in the nation to start a business.
"We created an ecosystem that supports small businesses so the Chamber of Commerce has more small businesses as members than big businesses so a lot of programming and efforts and the focus is to help those small businesses be successful," Troy Mclellan, CEO of Boca Chamber of Commerce said.
At the Blowzone the store manager Jennifer Sheppard says the local support has been a crucial part of their success.
"We have great partnerships with the Waldorf Astoria, the Addison, the Boca Resort Beach Club," she said. "Their concierge teams are great for sending people hosting their weddings there or visitors from out of town which also puts Boca even more on the map."
