Holiday season make or break for small Jacksonville-area businesses

Owning a small business is part of many people’s American dream.

“I think there’s something romantic about owning your own business and being in control of your life,” said Colleen Flinn, co-owner of Flinn’s Mercantile in downtown Jacksonville. “... I don’t think I could ever go back to punching a clock five days a week.”

That doesn’t mean business ownership is an easy path. Whether customers are walking out the door with overflowing shopping bags or empty-handed, bills — particularly rent, utilities, merchandise and employees’ salaries — don’t stop coming . . .