Making It Big With Small Businesses

850 Business Magazine provides a Q&A with the owners of three Tallahassee treasures—businesses that have been serving their community for at least 20 years. They have seen the rise and fall of competitors over the years. The pandemic shuttered many businesses across the U.S., but these local favorites are still standing. Here, we look at what has motivated their years of success. 

KEVIN STOUT OWNER, CHEF of FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

850 Business Magazine: You’re known for fresh cuisine and an ever-changing menu. What got you into cooking and inspired you to operate your own restaurant?

Stout: I started cooking when I was 13, when I lied about my age to get a job at McDonald’s. I just loved it. I was the kid making grilled cheeses for everyone in the neighborhood. I got my degree in criminology and was a search and rescue swimmer in the U.S. Navy, but I always maintained my passion for cooking and have been doing it for about 40 years now. I’ve owned Food Glorious Food for about 22 years with my wife, who does our desserts. And the original owner, Susan Turner, is still a partner. It’s something I’m very proud of.

850: As your restaurant has evolved, has your mission and vision for the experience you
aim to create changed?

Stout: We started with about 40 seats and now have around 250. It’s a busy restaurant with two bars and two kitchens, and we still cater and do other things. My thing has always been to just do a good job and see people leave happy; the money will come later. We have an open kitchen, so it’s nice to see a plate go down in front of someone and watch them take a bite, nodding their head. That’s the universal sign of approval. 

850: what has been the key to your establishment’s longevity?

Stout: It’s hard work and perseverance. You’ve got to stick with it, and you’ve got to keep evolving. Right now, I’m customizing a lunch menu. I’m considering doing more renovations, possibly opening our upstairs space with a deck and open-air bar. Again, it’s just making sure you’re doing all you can. I’ve cooked for almost every governor going back to Lawton Chiles. You get the mayor in here and just everyday people that make it worth it. It’s nice to think we’re a part of Tallahassee.

Photo by Saige Roberts

MELVIN GILLIAM OWNER of GILLIAM BROTHERS BARBER SHOP

850 Business Magazine: Your father opened this business in 1966. What inspired him to start his own barbershop?

Gilliam: My father started this with the intention of never working for anybody again. He was formerly a foreman in a tobacco field, and he was tired of his boss wanting him to work on days nobody should be working. He asked him to work the Fourth of July and said he’d be taking his kids to the beach. My father said, “That’s nice. I’ll be taking my kids to the beach, too!” He never worked another day in that field and went on to make his own thing.

850: Did you always plan on taking over ownership?

Gilliam: I was teaching school at the time when my father called me and said he was getting tired and wanted me to take over. Well, I had been cutting hair since I was 12, I just wasn’t licensed. I left my teaching job down south and came back home to Tallahassee, got another teaching job, and began attending night school to get my barber’s license. I’ve been doing this ever since.

850: What experience do you aim to create at your barbershop, and how has that contributed to your prolonged success?

Gilliam: It’s a family-type business, you know? I keep the same thing going my father started a long time ago. I worked with my brother here until his passing, and I’m at the point now where I’ve got a good group of people working for me who can basically run the place without me. Now, I’m almost 70 and intend on passing along the business to my nephew and his wife, who are also barbers. For us, we’re all about putting the customer first. Treat people right, treat people like they’re at home, and they’ll come back.

Photo by Dave Barfield

GREG COHEN OWNER of LOFTY PURSUITS

850 Business Magazine: From dozens of flavors of ice cream, soda, and handmade candies to toys and board games, Lofty Pursuits offers a variety of commodities. What inspired the concept of your store?

Cohen: I originally opened my retail store which primarily sold skill toys: juggling equipment, darts, and yo-yos. I consider 1993 to be my founding date, and part of transforming my business was to deal with the internet and the movement of online shopping. I had an epiphany that I could be competitive with brick and mortar if I gave people a compelling reason to shop retail. I thought back to my childhood when I grew up in New York City near a soda pop and candy store. So, I have a 1940s-soda fountain in the middle of my store now that gives people a reason to come back. I spent two years apprenticing to an employee of mine to master hard candy making. We began growing a popular YouTube channel and now have 35 employees working here.

850: what has been the secret to your success?

Cohen: Acknowledging that I don’t own the business, the customers do, and that you’re just the caretaker who serves them. You have to keep them engaged. One publication described Lofty Pursuits as a performance art project that happens to turn a profit. You can find everything from funny acrylic paintings I’ve done on the walls to a haiku vending machine I built. There are interactive devices everywhere that make you think or laugh. We have poetry for a quarter and a Lactaid vending machine for those who come for the ice cream. I like to think of a new theme every year, and right now, it’s “Wonder.”

850: Personally, what has been most rewarding about operating Lofty Pursuits?

Cohen: Today was a good example. We get people who come off the interstate all the time, and we had a guy who remembered we were here and came to visit. He said he’s been watching my videos since he was 15, and he’s now in his mid-20s. Every day, I see carloads of people come in from different cities, and the beautiful thing here is bringing in money from out of town actually helps increase the local economy. What makes me proud is the people who come in and tell me I was an important part of their childhood—seeing the three generations of visitors brought here by their grandmother and have now grown up and are bringing their own kids in. It goes back to the wonder, the joy. People can always experience something new whether it be a flavor or a device.