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Owning a small business is no accident for Sinan Leylek, the 29-year-old owner of Spark Rentals.

If the shoe fits, you probably got it at City Park Runners.

Optometrist Dr. Luke Small once spent three days scrubbing tiny flecks of paint from a parking lot full of cars at Speedy Muffler, the business formerly located next door to Armstrong and Small Eye Care Centre at 1140 Portage Avenue.

Paulo Carvalho grew up helping his family at My Flowers to Go, and now it’s his shop.

French, 64, began volunteering with the festival in his early 20s. “I wanted to give back to the community and it happened to be going on at the time,” he said.

Since Melanie Bernadsky of Freshcut Downtown taught her first Beer and Botany class in 2015, the concept has really taken root.