Gainesville Business History
gnvbusinesshistory.bsky.social
Gainesville Business History
@gnvbusinesshistory.bsky.social
GBH is a digital history interactive initiative offering historical data about business in Gainesville, FL, and oral history interviews with business owners in the community #bizhis #nearbyhistory
Data https://www.gainesvilleflbusinesshistory.com/
NEXT WEEK in Gainesville
Join us for the Gainesville Business History Project Roundtable — a conversation on the city’s business history, small business archives, oral histories, and digital history resources.
#bizhis #smallbusiness

RSVP 📧 inquiredcapitalism@history.ufl.edu
November 6, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Gainesville Business History
Call for Applications: 2026 BHC Doctoral Colloquium in Business History
📍 London, UK, on March 26, 2026
Application deadline ‼️ December 8, 2025 thebhc.org/doctoral-col...

#bizhis @businesshistory.bsky.social @hagleycenter.bsky.social @gnvbusinesshistory.bsky.social @repec-nep-his.bsky.social
September 23, 2025 at 10:02 AM
What drives someone to start a cleaning business? 🧹

This interview explores just one story behind one of the world’s most widespread yet often overlooked forms of #entrepreneurship#housecleaning.

Watch the full interview here: youtu.be/poZOiH_CNmc?...

#Bizhis #SmallBusiness #WomenInBusiness
October 28, 2025 at 11:05 AM
WE ARE HIRING!

Learn how to conduct archival research, become an oral history narrator, write about the business history of a #Gainesville sector or company you often visit ...

#oralhistory #internships #appliedhistory #bizhis #capitalism #history
October 14, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Watch full interview with founder and owner of 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥’𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 here youtu.be/722fmBvZnXk?...

#Bizhis #UF #OralHistory #GainesvilleFL #ThirdPlaces #ChristianStudyCenter #BusinessHistory #Pascal’sCoffeehouse #MidtownGainesville
August 7, 2025 at 7:01 PM
“There were 19 bookstores in Gainesville in the early 2000s—before Amazon took over.”
youtu.be/caHZ3VEea70?...
That’s the kind of detail you don’t find in reports or stats.

#OralHistory #BusinessHistory #bizhis #IndependentBookstores #Entrepreneurship #Storytelling #SmallBusinessVoices
An Oral History With Mr. Philip Wyrm, June 3, 2025
In this contemplative and freeform interview, Philip Wyrm, founder of "Books and Music Wormhole" in Gainesville, reflects on his journey as a self-described cultural propagandist, bookstore owner, musician, and seeker of ethical living. Born and raised in Central Florida, Wyrm’s path took him through years of travel and deep study before returning to Florida with a desire to preserve and share knowledge through books, music, and communal space. He discusses the origins of his store—initially a music practice and book hoarding space—its evolution into a bookstore, and the economic and philosophical challenges of running an independent enterprise outside capitalist norms. Interview by Jacob Friedman for the Inquire Capitalism Project. Produced by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program University of Florida 352 392-7168 http://oral.history.ufl.edu 241 Pugh Hall University of Florida Cat. No. GBH 027 Philip Wyrm 6-3-2025
youtu.be
July 31, 2025 at 7:01 PM
A good #PizzaFriday read, and for those interested in #pizza #smallbusiness #bizhis and #oralhistory #GNV

We’re excited to share this update from the program @ufl.edu #Florida

Thanks to my co-author Avi Ackerman for all his research, and to Tracy Walsh @theconversation.com for her guidance.
3 basic ingredients, a million possibilities: How small pizzerias succeed with uniqueness in an age of chain restaurants
While economic forces have streamlined many global dishes into uniform, predictable formats, pizza continues to thrive in all its messy and delicious variety.
theconversation.com
July 12, 2025 at 12:43 AM
📽️ Gainesville’s business history—told through the voices of its entrepreneurs—helps explain the storefronts, strip malls, coffee counters, and community spaces we pass every day.

youtube.com/playlist?lis...

📣 And we’re looking for more voices!
June 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
In GNV FL Book Gallery West has long been more than a retail space—it’s a #thirdplace where people gather, browse, talk, and think.

📚 #Bookstores don’t just sell books. youtu.be/oRNE1sEdu0A?...

👉 What’s your favorite local bookstore #GNV—and what has it meant to you?
An Oral History With Jan Fronk. March 31, 2025
Interview by Jacob Friedman. Recorded for Gainesville Business History Oral History project. Ms. Jan Fronk talks about her life and how she came to own and o...
youtu.be
June 20, 2025 at 10:01 AM
🌱 “From a really young age I knew I was going to pursue a path working with young children.”
— Daniella Porter, Founder of Imagine Learning Center

📺 Watch the full interview on YouTube!

youtu.be/bXdblsX3A1I?...

#EarlyChildhoodEducation #EducationLeadership #GBH #BizHis
June 13, 2025 at 2:35 PM
🗂️ Preserving Gainesville’s Business History ❓ Why record a memory of a florist, a dry cleaning business, a salon, or a Cuban sandwich restaurant? 🗣️ stories of migration, entrepreneurship, management, commercial history, resilience, crisis handling, and culture.

👉 Want to be part of this archive?
June 6, 2025 at 10:02 AM
From a local café serving croquetas and cafecito to a beloved Gainesville landmark.

We’re proud to honor Mi Apá as part of the Gainesville Business History Project youtu.be/exSTEQdbuqY?...

#BizHis #MiApaStory #CafecitoYComunidad #GNVBusinessHistory #UFTraditions #CubanFoodLove
May 30, 2025 at 10:02 AM
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?
... a way of understanding how people experience organizations, the workplace, entrepreneurship --- how decision-making is remembered, business relationships, mistakes, and how change is understood.
Oral History at UD with Professor Horowitz
At UD, students experience first hand the power of oral history, thanks to UD Professor Roger Horowitz.
youtu.be
May 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM
53 yrs strong 💪📄
From 8 staff in ’71 to 60 owner-employees today, Renaissance Printing proves #EmployeeOwnership beats the odds. Family roots, ESOP since ’01, tech-obsessed since day 1 #SmallBiz #ESOP #Printing #GNV

👀 See the full interview → youtu.be/HbQfPibJs98?...

#Bizhis #GNV #FutureOfWork
May 5, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Launching the Gainesville Business History Oral Histories Research Tool

📚 a student, city officer, Florida resident, historian ... anyone can check our tool to learn more about GNV's #BusinessHistory

🔗 gbhoralhistories.com

#GainesvilleHistory #OralHistory
May 2, 2025 at 10:02 AM
💼 Important #FemaleLeadership at James Moore & Co👩‍💼 welcomed its first female partner, Carol Villamere, in the late ’80s/early ’90s. By 1993, four women held partnership roles—a reflection of the firm’s bold and forward-thinking culture.

Want to learn more? youtu.be/9VLSeKq3Obg?...
An Oral History With Robert Watson and Jay Hutto, March 6, 2025
Interview by Dr. Paula de la Cruz-Fernandez. Recorded for Gainesville Business History Oral History Project. Robert Watson and Jay Hutto give the history of ...
youtu.be
April 25, 2025 at 10:01 AM
🥒Pick a Pickle, Get a Quote! 🥒

Every recipe mentioned in this post is offered by Gainesville local Elijah "Fish" Gurman, owner of #ProudPickles.

Learn about the #business and its #bizhis 💯 Available here: youtu.be/I5AW63sLn5Y?...

#oralhistory interview by Hannah Alfieri #localbusiness #pickles
April 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM
🌟 We are still exicted from an incredible Roundtable on Oral History at the BHC in Atlanta! Already getting ready for BHC 2026… London, anyone? 🇬🇧👀

But first: full focus on the International Oral History Association conference in Poland! 🇵🇱

#BizHis #OralHistory #BHC2026 #IOHA2025
April 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
🏳️‍🌈 University Club: A Gainesville Icon for 34 Years 🎶💃

“People always tell me, ‘I went to college there, and UC was where I felt safe, where I made my best memories.’ That’s what makes it all worth it.” — Mark Spangler

Hear the full story of UC’s legacy 📽️
An Oral History With Mark Spangler, March 21, 2024
Interview by Emma Zuercher. Recorded at the University of Florida for Gainesville Business History Oral History project. Mark Spangler gives the history of t...
buff.ly
March 26, 2025 at 11:01 AM
🍕 Squarehouse Pizza: Where Creativity Meets Community 🎸🎨

Detroit-style squares, vintage aesthetics, and a team-driven culture make it unique, but one question still divides customers: 🍍 Does pineapple belong on pizza?

#Bizhis #PizzaWars #SquarehousePizza #PineappleDebate
GBH Oral History
buff.ly
March 19, 2025 at 11:00 AM
🥓 📢 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐬 💎 of our GBH collection: buff.ly/yTcWsoC

Sandwich Inn, Gainesville’s oldest drive-thru restaurant 🍔📜
March 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM
We’re getting ready the @businesshistoryc.bsky.social 2025 annual meeting! 🎉
buff.ly/4gMBNrw
As GNV Business History, we’ll be presenting on digital resources for local business history our oral history interviews project. Hope to see you there! 👥🎤📚

#BHC2025 #OralHistory #BusinessHistory #Bizhis
March 9, 2025 at 7:24 PM
📖✨ 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗼𝗻! ✨📖

The Gainesville Business History Project has some incredible interviews lined up!
Gainesville Business History Oral History Project
Documenting Gainesville's Businesses!
buff.ly
March 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆’𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔?

So much can change in 20 years, but La Aurora has been a staple in the community since 1999—bringing flavors from across Latin America.
February 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM