By: Stephen McCollum

Maybe it’s because Mike Fisher was the first baby born in Blackford County in 1974. Maybe it’s because even after his family drifted off for some time in three other states, from Florida to California, they always came back here. Maybe it’s because his many years of long-haul truck driving convinced him that there’s no place like home. 

Maybe it’s all of those things and more, but Fisher has been back now long enough to let his entrepreneurial spirit take root. It might even be said he’s found it to be just the right Sweeet Spot. Just open a few months, Fisher says his newest venture evolved out of two other businesses—the Auction House and the Deal of the Day thrift store—where his hankering to barter and his heritage of flea marketing with grandparents kept him in touch with the public and even offered chances to develop his interest in cooking.

At the Sweeet Spot you can get lunch from Mike’s Menu, including his specialty, ham salad, or choose from a milkshake list rivaled in the region only by Ivanhoe’s in Upland—almost 30 flavors, or maybe an ice cream sundae with candy or fruit toppings. 

Or, if you’re just a big kid at heart, or have kids in tow, the penny candy shelves will, you guessed it, hit your sweet spot for sure. 

Business has steadily increased since opening last summer, with customers drifting in from Bluffton, Markle, Muncie, and others. Fisher says the only marketing he’s employed so far is a Facebook page and reliance on the old standard—word-of-mouth. That’s the sweetest kind, not just because it’s free but because it means people value their experience.

If things keep trending upward, Fisher has a vision for how he wants to expand to make this a more comprehensive place for families to gather, have some food, or satisfy that sweet tooth, and just share time and space.

“I would like for this to become an attraction, not just a store,” he said. “We’ve got a lot going on in the community, a lot of mom and pop stores opening. I think it will be great.”

Before you sink into a sugar high dreaming about all this sweet stuff, just recognize that keeping three businesses alive and well is not for the faint of heart. 

“I work about 12-13 hours a day, six days a week,” he said. His spirit of independence was tested during his years as a truck driver. After a few years, he bought his own rig and said to himself, “If I’m going to go broke it’s going to be because I did it or if I succeed it’s because I did it.” 

He may be out of the driver’s seat in one sense, but clearly something inside is driving Fisher to keep his multiple ventures up and running. And he’s quick to promote other local businesses.

“I never look at another business as competition,” he said. “It’s really all about providing choices for the people in the community.”

Fisher says that he had been thinking about starting a business like the Sweeet Shop for months when having breakfast at Common Grounds. Katie Rich, owner of the coffee house, suggested that he rent the space next to her. There is some competition in business, of course, but these entrepreneurs show there can also be co-promotion. 

“This is a great community,” said Fisher. “There’s lots to shine here, a lot of good people.”