“What could I do that’d be something fun, something here at home that would get the community involved and I’d be proud of?”

That is the question Jackie Smith asked of herself and her husband as she began developing her business plan — a plan that ultimately led to the soon-to-be-opened business named The Coffee Shoppe.

At first blush, a person might not speak of Selma and coffee shops in the same breath. But why not? Selma doesn’t have one and it is a topic regularly brought up as a want by many residents. It is that fact Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce executive director Sheryl Smedley so easily summed up.

“It most definitely will … because that’s what everyone’s been wanting,” Smedley said in Sunday’s article in the Times-Journal.

“It will be a community-minded business … good for all ages and another great meeting spot.”

It is not our goal to further promote Smith’s business, but rather it is our goal to promote Smith’s spirit.

Not only is she taking a risk by opening a business in what everyone admits is a tough economy, but she is doing it in an industry that is more challenging than most.

But, Smith has seen a void in Selma and is doing what she can to fill that void.

If done well, there is no reason her business will not succeed and Selma will be better off because of her success.

It is this adventurous, risk-taking spirit, in our opinion, that must continue for Selma to prosper. It is these entrepreneurs that will change our economy for the better and provide Selma a much-brighter future.

It is with all of this said, that we simply thank Smith and those like her, who think so much of Selma to take the chance.

Now it’s up to the rest of us to ensure her business, and all other Selma businesses, succeed.