We didn't start Behind the Business to introduce businesses. We started it to introduce the people behind them.

Every storefront on Main Street, every trailer parked by the highway, every small studio tucked into a strip mall — someone poured years of their life into it before a single customer walked through the door. A recipe perfected in a home kitchen. A warehouse job left behind for something that felt like purpose. A health scare that turned into a second career. That's the part a menu or a storefront sign can never tell you, and it's the part we've come to care about most.

Four episodes in, here's what we've learned: Leduc's small businesses aren't just serving the community — they're built by it, and for it. So before we open our next chapter, we wanted to take a moment and look back at the people who got us here.

Pastry Heaven didn't start in a storefront — it started in Khatuna's home kitchen, baking traditional Georgian sweets simply because she loved bringing people together through food. Seven years of "just one more cake" from friends and family built the confidence to make it real. Her husband Abir brought his own gift to the partnership: years in hotel hospitality, where greeting people like they matter isn't a script, it's a habit.

Together they built a place where the day starts at 6 AM with everything made from scratch — muffins, cake sponges, fresh soup, sandwiches — and doesn't stop until the last guest leaves happy.

Why we loved this story: because it's proof that "just one more cake" really can turn into something the whole community gets to enjoy.

Missed the full feature? Read Episode 001 here.

Jessica built Saradee Boutique into one of Main Street's genuine local success stories — a small, women-owned shop that now ships its curated mix of clothing, jewelry, candles, and gifts across Canada and the US, with over 12,000 people following along for the finds.

What stayed with us wasn't the follower count. It was how personal the shop still feels — the kind of place where the person ringing you up actually built the business herself, one careful decision at a time.

Why we loved this story: because it shows a Main Street shop can compete anywhere and still feel like it belongs to the neighbourhood.

Missed the full feature? Read Episode 002 here.

Preet's own health journey led her to tea long before it led her to a business. "GoGo" isn't a brand name — it's the nickname her family has always called her, and the shop carries the same warmth she grew up with.

Before GoGo's, Preet worked as a Correctional Supervisor and an Early Childhood Educator — two chapters that shaped both her own need for calm and her instinct to make sure every child in the family could enjoy a caffeine-free cup too. She brought the business from BC to Leduc in 2022 to be closer to family, and customers now travel in from Edmonton, Beaumont, and Nisku to find her.

Why we loved this story: because it's a reminder that the best local businesses are usually built from something the owner needed to heal in themselves first.

Missed the full feature? Read Episode 003 here.

Insecta Fight started as a mock business Chance and Cole invented for a high school class — and it stayed with them long after the assignment ended. Chance was working in a warehouse, feeling like something was missing, when the old idea pulled him forward into building it for real.

It's not a traditional boxing gym. It's private coaching built around confidence and progress, not competition — sometimes even taking sessions outdoors along Telford Lake. The proudest moments, Chance and Cole say, aren't about a perfect punch. They're about watching someone recognize what they're capable of.

Why we loved this story: because two friends turned a class project into a place where people become stronger — inside and outside the gym.

Missed the full feature? Read Episode 005 here.

Every local business has a story before customers ever walk through the door — or in this case, up to the window. Our next Behind the Business feature takes us inside Dark Kiss Coffee, where we're learning the story behind one of Leduc's favourite local coffee spots.

Watch for it soon.

Behind the Business is driven by community recommendations — we're always looking for the next great Leduc story.

Maybe it's a business you walk past every day. Maybe it's a home-based business you only know about because a friend told you. A family business that's been around for years, or a brand-new one just getting started. A hidden gem you don't want to keep to yourself.

Reply and let us know who we should visit next — we read every recommendation.

Behind the Business is lalocal's ongoing series celebrating the people whose ideas, courage, and hard work help make Leduc stronger—one story at a time.