Pine Island — When Helen Distad launched her chocolate business two years ago, she wanted to base it in her hometown of Pine Island.

But the owner of My Heart’s Design found it was more economical to rent commercial kitchen space from Rochester’s Kahler Grand Hotel.

Now her dream of a retail shop in Pine Island is about to come true. Distad plans to expand her business and open a retail store Wednesday in a shop on Main Street. Helping buoy the business will be Internet sales and shipping orders, so the bottom line doesn’t rest entirely on local sales.

“Once you have (a business) started, it’s easier to relax into a smaller town,” she said.

The opening of the chocolate shop will mark the sixth new business to open in downtown Pine Island over the last year. All of the new businesses are service-oriented and have chosen to locate in the historic downtown. While a number of small cities have seen once-thriving downtowns lose businesses, Pine Island has been revitalized. Marc Dennison, the city’s economic development director, said the city has long been focused on promoting development.

“The community had the foresight back in 1992 and 1993 to hire an economic development director,” he said. “I think a few people saw the writing on the wall that if there was nobody being the big cheerleader for Pine Island, businesses would just kind of drive by and locate in Rochester or up in the metro area.”

To encourage entrepreneurs, the city offers tax incentives and a revolving loan fund through Pine Island Telecom that offers gap funding for businesses. Dennison said staff strive to make city hall a “one-stop shop” for permits.

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