When it comes to opening a business, Melissa Keys says “sometimes you gotta jump.” Her entrepreneurial journey follows that trajectory, through listening, acting on opportunities that show up, and jumping toward them.
In 2021, Melissa relocated the industrial supply business she runs with her husband Robert to rural northeastern North Carolina from southeastern Virginia. While that move was planned, starting a second — and very different — brick-and-mortar business wasn’t. Initially.
As for how the Keys ended up in Ahoskie owning an ice cream shop and selling industrial supplies, along with specialized aircraft cables to the government? Keep reading.
Starting One Unplanned Business…
The Keys had long planned to move from Virginia’s Tidewater region to somewhere less crowded. When they began splitting time between North Carolina and Virginia, they realized moving south was the answer. In 2021, the Keys moved their industrial supply business from the Virginia Beach metro area (population: 1.94 million*) to Ahoskie (population: 4,665), just over an hour south. They were familiar with northeastern North Carolina after owning property there for 20 years.
Once in Ahoskie, the Keys heard about an open retail space from someone they had met in commercial real estate. They went to look at the space, and within 15 minutes, they decided to open up an ice cream shop, Sweets on Main.
Robert says, “We thought about the town. We thought about the fact that there used to be an ice cream parlor [in town], and people were still fairly reminiscent about it.” At the time, Melissa was also working on Main Street revitalization, so Rob continues, “…That made it make sense that we went ahead and decided, ‘Let’s build an ice cream parlor.’”
After taste testing many ice cream from several suppliers, the Keys decided to source from Ayden-based Simply Natural Creamery. The Sweets on Main menu has a long list of current and seasonal ice cream flavors, and they are working on adding seasonal soups, sandwiches, and hot dogs.
… After Choosing to Relocate to Ahoskie with Another
For 30 years, Melissa was an IT solutions provider for the federal government. After retiring in 2020, some of her federal contacts got in touch, asking for help sourcing products since the pandemic was making purchasing difficult. As the amount of time Melissa spent finding products increased, she began charging for her time, which led to opening an industrial supply company.
“I don’t know if we were seriously looking, kind of looking, whatever, came across the building really fell in love with the building more than anything else and it made everything work.”
Robert Keys
Not only did the new company make it easier for her contacts and others to buy supplies, but the choice to source from U.S. manufacturers instead of overseas companies meant the products arrived quicker. Initially, Melissa opened the business, ENC Industrial Supply, in Virginia, but the company moved (as did the Keys) to North Carolina the following year.
Robert says, “I don’t know if we were seriously looking, kind of looking, whatever, came across the building really fell in love with the building more than anything else and it made everything work.”
The building was an 11,000-square-foot historic building on Ahoskie’s Railroad Street. All of that space meant ENC could expand. Robert’s aeronautical engineering experience led him to an opportunity to design aircraft cables that weren’t available on the market. The cables will be manufactured in Ahoskie and used by organizations like the Air Force and the Coast Guard, as well as NATO nations. A loan from BEFCOR and the Rural Center made it possible to improve the 120-year-old building, which is still being renovated, and expand ENC.
The couple works together on both businesses. Melissa is owner and CEO and Robert is vice president of operations/handyman of H&H Consulting and Sales, the parent company of ENC and Sweets on Main.
Betting on Ahoskie
For Weyling White, Ahoskie’s mayor (and an NC Rural Center board member), the Keys’ work dovetails into his own plans for the town.
“They had a vision, their own vision, for Ahoskie that I just love. I love when people have their own vision that we can work together to bring to fruition,” he says. White adds, “If you want to get the best ice cream that you can on this side of I-95, you have to stop by Sweets on Main.”
“So it’s that first step into committing to the brick-and-mortar location, which a lot of people have walked away from, which again now leaves a lot more opportunity for a small business to come in.”
Melissa Keys
When asked why they chose Ahoskie, Robert says that along with the lower property costs, there’s also a “lower cost of living, which means employee, employer overhead is lower, …So having that lower cost of living, for us, for our employees, for everything, certainly helps.”
On Being North Carolina Business Owners
For anyone thinking about relocating a business to or starting one in North Carolina, the Keys both have great things to say about the move. Robert notes that while funding is the most important part of having a business, “there’s nothing but opportunities” here in the state.
While Melissa points out there can be fear around starting brick-and-mortar locations, she also highlights the opportunity.
“So it’s that first step into committing to the brick-and-mortar location, which a lot of people have walked away from, which again now leaves a lot more opportunity for a small business to come in,” she says.
While the Keys say they don’t have plans to open any more businesses in Ahoskie, it’s clear that not being scared to jump has served their current ventures well.
* Population data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2024)