Editor’s Note: In Business is an occasional Journal-World series profiling area companies. If you’d like your business to be profiled, contact Business Editor Chad Lawhorn at 832-6362 or by e-mail at clawhorn@ljworld.com

Business name: Miko

Address: 13 E. Eighth St.

Phone: 749-7900

Owner: Jessica Belmont

Employees: 2 part-time, 1 full-time

Years in business: 1

Briefly explain what your business does.

Jessica Belmont is the owner of Miko, a natural home decor store at 13 E. Eighth St. From sterling silver to amethyst cathedrals, Miko offers the not-so-ordinary items. Wednesday, Belmont displayed a banded onyx vase next to a case full of carved stones, amethyst cathedrals and candleholders.

Miko is a retail shop that offers natural home decor and personal accessories, including sterling and gem jewelry, vases, carved stone, candle holders, bath products, rocks, gems, minerals, fossils, seashells, corals and silk textiles.

What drew you to locate your business in Lawrence?

“Lawrence is a wonderfully friendly town and there is a strong interest in nature within the community,” Belmont said. “Lawrence also has experienced a tremendous amount of growth over the past few decades and seems to have a level of stability that transcends national economic trends.”

What advice do you have for people starting a small business?

“Plan, plan, plan,” Belmont said. “Make sure you have a complete business plan before you start. If you are going into retail, diversification of product is the name of the game.”

What challenges to business does Lawrence need to address?

“From a downtown business owner’s perspective, I would like to see more free parking and better landscaping in the downtown area,” Belmont said.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest score, how would you rank Lawrence’s overall business climate, such as current economic conditions, ease of doing business, growth potential and other factors?

“I would rank Lawrence as an eight,” Belmont said. “The business community is very friendly and helpful, and the customer base grows and changes every year. These factors are encouraging for a new small business.”