DURHAM, N.C. — New business growth is happening fast in North Carolina.
According to the secretary of state's office, during the first half of the year, about 93,000 new businesses got started in the Tar Heel State.
It's in sharp contrast to the 52,000 new businesses created in the first half of 2020 during the pandemic. And the new number shows a growth of almost 80% over two years.
What You Need To Know
About 93,000 new businesses have been started in North Carolina in the first half of 2022
The new number shows an almost 80% growth over two years in comparison with 2020
But new business owners still face challenges like supply chain issues and labor shortages
Barbara Nigro is the owner of new bakery, Little Barb's, inside Durham Food Hall.
Before she was running this business, the 26-year-old worked as a certified nursing assistant, trying to get enough hours to go to school and become a physician's assistant.
But during the pandemic, like many people, Nigro was burnt out and looking for a change.
"I was very sad, I was always crying ... so I just kind of decided that that meant I needed to quit this job, and I needed to do something else,” she said.
She was inspired by her own family's journey in business. Her dad started a pizza shop in her hometown in Tennesee called Big Tony's Pizzeria. It was there where Nigro got her first taste of what it would be like to start her own business, and where she started baking, because she used to make all the pizzeria's desserts.
"I am the youngest of nine, and I was the last one at home that was willing to help," Nigro said. "I would help him from six in the morning, to 10 at night. ... We made the entire bar ourselves, and it was just fun," she said. "Once I got behind the pizza table and I was making a pizza, I was like this is what I want to do with my life. I want to do something in the food industry."
Now Little Barb's is open seven days a week, and the name is a nod to her father's restaurant. She said while it’s been an exciting start, she is running into some challenges.
"Labor has been the No. 1 thing that’s been the challenge, just finding somebody that is qualified and affordable," Nigro said.
It's why right now, Nigro is her only full-time employee. Add that to supply chain issues, and a small workspace, it’s stressful.
"We just don’t have enough product, we don’t have enough space to make enough stuff," Nigro said. "So I have to get here every day around 5:30 a.m., 6 o'clock to do all of these things, basically make all of our product new every morning, and then I leave anywhere from like … 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at night," she said.
Regardless of her struggles, Nigro is motivated as a young business owner to make an impact on her community and follow this dream.
"If I would have told last year, 'Barb that like this is where I would be,' I probably would not believe you at all," Nigro said. "Because I just didn’t think people actually did their passions for a living, but I'm happy that I am.”
Nigro is a completely self-taught baker. She's planning an official grand opening soon.