Mount Jackson’s Town Hall felt more like a stage last week as seven entrepreneurs pitched their dreams, from handmade soaps to faith-centered books and story-driven tattoos, all vying for a share of $75,000 in business-grant funding.

The Tuesday night event marked the second year of the Mount Jackson Five program, but this time, something new was taking flight: The Nest, an incubator designed to help emerging business owners launch and grow with hands-on mentorship and shared retail space on Main Street.

Town Manager Olivia Hilton likened the initiative to spring itself, a time for fledglings to take their first flights, she said.

“The Nesters are gonna get a ton of support throughout it,” Hilton remarked. “Marketing, storytelling, social media. They’re gonna be well supported.”

The pa

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