Tucked away in the heart of Central New York sits Tully, known for its natural landscapes and close-knit community. Within this town lies the village which is home to women who own more than half of the store-front businesses.

"I think it's quite a feat for there to be so many little women-owned businesses in one square mile,” said Melissa Flint-Morgan, the owner of Bloomin' Cup and village mayor. “In general, women business owners are not as apt to having store-fronts and actual places of business.”

Residents say it's progressive, but quaint.

"It's a community that if you were to drive through, it's over in a heartbeat drive,” said Amy Kida, the owner of Earth 2 Soul. “But if you took the time to go inside the buildings, it's a lot of love and a lot of joy and a lot of support."

Kida says it encourages many women in the area to start their own businesses.

"There's about 25 businesses in the village of Tully,” said Flint-Morgan. “Those are businesses with storefronts. Owned by women, there’s about 13, a little more than half."

Five of those businesses opened within the past five years and more are coming soon.

"There are about 12.5 million businesses owned by women in the country which still shockingly only accounts for 5 percent of businesses owned in America,” said Robert Searing, the Onondaga Historical Association history curator. “But, there were only 400,000 in 1972. So obviously women have been liberated in a variety of ways.”

Despite the national upward trend, it’s nothing new to this rural village. Historians say women have owned businesses in Tully since the 1950s.

"It shows that in Tully, women kind of rule,” said Flint-Morgan. “We rule the business aspect of things, but we also feel comfortable among our male counterparts to do the same things and not feel bogged down by our gender. I think it says both about men and women in Tully that we're both kind of united.”

They're closing the gender gap and opening doors for future generations.

"I think it sets a really positive role model for little girls,” said Flint-Morgan. “I think it teaches girls that women can do anything, and that is unique to the village of Tully because it’s not the same everywhere else."