Sugar Strategist

10/13/2026

🍂 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗱𝘀. 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀!

Last weekend, we spent the day at the 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗳𝗮𝘅 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹, and had a great time exploring! There were over 400 vendors!

Familiar faces. New connections. Creative products. Delicious food. And one of the biggest festival crowds we've seen in a long time!

The weather couldn't have been better, and neither could the opportunity for small businesses to shine. From ice cream and cold drinks to sizzling grills and packed vendor booths, it was exciting to see so many entrepreneurs getting their products in front of thousands of potential customers.

And those long lines? We LOVE seeing that kind of demand!

We always leave these events feeling inspired by the creativity, determination, and hustle of the small business community.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝘆?

10/07/2026

🏪 True Food Kitchen closes Reston restaurant, still open in Merrifield

True Food Kitchen has permanently closed its Reston Town Center restaurant after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and shuttering 12 locations nationwide. The chain’s Merrifield restaurant in the Mosaic District remains open, along with its Ballston Quarter location in Arlington.

👇 Link in comments

09/18/2026

Some people make pizza. Dan lives it. 🍕

Italian roots.
New Haven style.
Fresh ingredients.
No shortcuts.
And a whole lot of passion behind every pie.

Now he’s got a brand-new truck built to make the operation even more efficient…but the thing that matters most hasn’t changed: the quality of the pizza coming out of it.

We’ll put Dan’s pizza up against anyone’s, from ANYWHERE. He’s Florida based, but people from all over know his pizza!

It’s a must when we’re working in Florida! The pizza is just. that. good.

Watching someone pour this much passion into what they do, and continue investing in making the business better, is exactly the kind of small business story we love to see and support.

Dan, we appreciate you and cant wait to be back for more! Ciao! 🇮🇹🍕

09/17/2026

Your website probably looks great, but can EVERYONE actually use it? You may have seen some lawsuits about this in the news!

Website accessibility is something many small business owners don't think about until someone brings it to their attention. And no, this isn't only a concern for major corporations with huge websites.

Small businesses, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀, should be paying attention to website accessibility, too.

Accessibility can affect everything from how someone navigates your website with a keyboard to the way images are described, how easily text can be read, how forms are labeled and more.

Beyond potential legal considerations, there's an even simpler reason to care: your website should make it as easy as possible for every potential customer to learn about your business, understand what you offer and take the next step.

We recently broke down website accessibility and ADA considerations on the Sugar Strategist blog, including what business owners should know and some of the areas you may want to check on your own site.

👉 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, and then take another look at your website through the lens of accessibility.

09/16/2026

A new ice cream parlor is in the works for Loudoun County – and it will be the first location for the growing brand in the state of Virginia. It's called the Kwality –and it's going to open in a small space in the Moorefield Village shopping center off Loudoun County Parkway in Ashburn. That's

09/10/2026

So proud of this team!

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻, 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮!

Meet 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗼 & 𝗖𝗼. — a fully equipped 16-foot mobile espresso + gelato trailer bringing Italian craft to events across the SF Bay Area.

Our gelato is made fresh each week in Richmond by Almare Gelato Italiano, and our espresso is locally roasted in Oakland.

We’re now booking weddings, corporate events, celebrations & more. Visit our website to book your event.

We can’t wait to serve you!

🌐 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: affogatoco.com
👉 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 for more updates!

09/05/2026

𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻, 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮! 🎉

From our days crossing paths while Kathleen was at The Conche, to watching her build her own dessert brand over the years, we’ve always known Kathleen was destined for big things. Having her own shop has been her dream since she was a young girl, and today that dream took a HUGE step forward with her soft opening!

It’s been such a privilege to offer some guidance along the way and watch Kathleen, her family, and her friends pour their hearts into this new brand and storefront. It all turned out beautifully!

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀: Fleen’s Dessert Studio officially opens on 9/12 in Ashburn, VA!

We couldn't be more excited for you, Kathleen! ✨CONGRATS!!✨

📍https://fleensashburn.com/

09/03/2026

𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱. 👻

But have you ever been the one doing the ghosting?

That unanswered product quote, proposal or follow-up may seem harmless, but have you considered what it could be costing 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀?

Our latest blog looks at why simply responding matters, and how silence can say more about YOUR business than you realize.

Before you ghost, consider what you might be leaving behind.

📍https://sugarstrategist.com/blog

08/22/2026

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT✨

Monica Archando and Louis DiMeglio from Sugar Strategist are joining us to kickoff Saturday morning at WPC 2027!💛
Their session will be full of tips from taking a fun hobby to a successful business, get excited!🤩

08/21/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲!

This past weekend, we had the privilege of celebrating Trey Wirth and Round Hill Farm to Trail Co. as Senator Russet Perry presented Trey with a Virginia Senate Resolution recognizing his commitment to service, country, and the Round Hill community.

A retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, Trey opened Round Hill Farm to Trail Co. less than a year ago, and the impact he has made in that short time is impressive to say the least!

From the beginning, his vision has extended far beyond opening a store. A significant portion of the products on his shelves come from local farms, makers, artisans, and small businesses, meaning dollars spent in his store continue circulating throughout the surrounding community.

Saturday's celebration reflected that mission perfectly, bringing together neighbors, local businesses, and numerous vendors for a Community Vendor Showcase celebrating the people behind those products.

We've been fortunate to work alongside Trey since he opened, helping with operations, business development, and most recently, marketing strategy, web design and direct-mail outreach. Seeing the community show up for someone who works so intentionally to show up for them was incredible to see. He is so deserving!

Trey, congrats again on this well-deserved recognition. We couldn't be prouder to play a small part in what you're building!