TAMPA, Fla — When Lisa Schalk started making her own toffee in her Tampa Bay kitchen 26 years ago, she’d have no idea one day she’d be representing small businesses across the country on Capitol Hill.
“I was a stay-at-home mom on a tight budget, and we would give our family toffee away as holiday gifts,” said Lisa. “The reason it was named Toffee to Go is people would come to my house, get it, and go.”
Lisa and her husband, Jim, officially opened a brick-and-mortar store in 2002, Toffee to Go & More. However, it wasn’t until a decade later that they gained national attention, landing on Oprah’s List of Favorite Things.
“I mean, people were just so happy for us. To me, that was the greatest thing in the world,” said Lisa.
Just when Lisa thought business couldn’t get any better, this year, the National Retail Federation named her one of America’s Retail Champions.
Lisa and Jim were among 50 small business owners across the country invited to attend a Retail Advocates Summit on Capitol Hill.
“Well, I’m a Tampa Bay native, I love it here. It's my home, and it’s just very, very exciting. I’m very proud to be representing small businesses,” said Lisa.
Lisa and Jim spoke with members of Congress, who asked them about their toffee and some of their biggest concerns for the future.
“It was very exciting to see different senators walking around the Main Street USA and look at your product and talk, and they want to hear your story about how you got started, and what you do for your community, and how the community rallies around you, and it’s very heartwarming, really,” said Lisa.
Some of the major topics of concern for business owners across the board included escalating credit card fees and supply chain issues.
“Like, right now, chocolate has doubled in price, and we go through a ton of chocolate. I think it’s over double per case this year than it was last year, which is just horrible,” said Lisa.
She said one of the highlights was the opportunity to hear from 49 other small business owners, just like her, who were also pursuing the American Dream.
“I was fascinated by the ones that have gone from generation to generation, and I learned a lot about their businesses and how they work,” said Lisa.
Lisa is optimistic her presence and advocacy on Capitol Hill will make a difference. You could say she can even taste it.
“You know, we’re all just people trying to make a living and trying to make our communities better,” said Lisa.
ABC Action News spoke with several small business owners across Polk County, and the topic on everyone's mind heading into the 2024 election was inflation.
