Some businesses are doing just fine

Many businesses are struggling but apparently health foods and crafts aren't among them.

That's the case for two stores in Highlands County - Food For Thought in Sebring and Scrap Paper Scissors in Lake Placid.

Owner Barbara Snapp is expanding Food For Thought to provide organic produce, which will be seasonal items, and more products.

"I need the space," Snapp said. "People are taking care of their health."

Snapp said the health food industry has been growing for years. She added that a lot of doctors are beginning to realize the benefits and are sending people to stores like hers.

The UPS store, located next to Food For Thought, closed recently. The 1,200 square feet of space there will increase the size of the store to 2,400 square feet.

Snapp hopes to have the expanded store open by the middle of September. A grand opening is planned for Oct 10.

"We're excited and all of the health food customers are excited," she said.

Snapp said she has owned the store for nine years. It has been in Sebring 29 years.

The hours of the store, located in the Village Fountain shopping center on U.S. 27, will remain 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday.

Lisa Baldwin and Rose Sapp opened a store on Interlake Boulevard in Lake Placid that was devoted just to scrapbooking. They started in a 900 square-foot space in 2007 and then moved a few doors to the former Horace Williams Office Supply store in November 2008.

Baldwin and Sapp have doubled their inventory and added custom embroidery and glass etching. They have a heat press to do T-shirt designs.

Custom invitations are going to be added at some point.

The Cricut is a die-cutting machine scrapbookers are familiar with. The store has more than 60 cartridges that can be rented. The cartridges contain keypads with different shapes, fonts, designs and numbers.

The store, which now has just under 2,000 square feet of space, could expand in 2010 They would like to acquire space in a real estate office next door that would give them an additional 1,000 feet of space for classes.

Baldwin, who is a partner with Sapp, said scrapbooking is a therapeutic hobby that is affordable.

"It helps forget about those problems," Baldwin said.

"Everybody still has to have an outlet," Sapp said. "That's what we help to provide."

Customer service is another key factor in their success.

"We know all of our customers by name," Sapp said.

They said they learned at the recent Craft and Hobby Association of America convention in Orlando that crafts are a $9.9 billion industry with a big portion of that resulting from scrapbooking.

Located at 285 E. Interlake Blvd., Scrap Paper Scissors is open from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday. Several classes are held there as well as Crop Night, where people can bring projects in and work together.

Outback puts up bigger building

Outback USA did a major expansion last year when the boat sales, service and bait and tackle store moved into a new building at 14021 U.S. 27 S.

The business had operated in a 1,400 square-foot space that had been a house, which was torn down and replaced by a 5,000 square-foot building, according to Skip Dent, the general manager.

In addition to more than tripling its space, Outback has more doubled the number of items it carries compared to the old location. Dent said the store has 17,500 items.

Outback has added more wearing apparel and increased the number of bait tanks. The service department has also expanded.

"It has done very well," Dent said.

Dent said last year's winter tourist season was "fantastic." He added the store has attracted tournament fishermen on weekends.

Dent said Outback has added the Misty Harbor line of pontoon boats.

Regarding boat sales, Dent said used boats are selling well but new boats sales are down. He noted that Outback has sold all of its 2009 models. The 2010 boats come out this month.

The building is distinctive because it has five murals, including a 30-foot by 60-foot mural on the outside wall that faces 27. James Strickland of Lake Placid designed the murals.

Outback's hours are 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sunday.