Alamo, TN - August 31, 2026 - Crockett County native Shalandrius Duckworth has developed a pretty sweet reputation among locals since opening the doors to her dirty soda and dessert storefront, Mini Desires, in early 2026. Duckworth opened Mini Desires with more than a decade of experience as a small business owner. The storefront represents a new creative venture for Duckworth, who originally started her entrepreneurial journey doing hair.
"I started off doing hair. So, I just decided to take my creativity to a different venture. Something more exciting, something more colorful, because I like colors and stuff. So, I decided to try a new wave, and I seen dirty soda and went that way," she said.
Dirty sodas, Duckworth explained, are non-alcoholic beverages made with a soda base that can be mixed with a favorite syrup and creamer to create a customized drink.
Duckworth said dirty sodas weren't originally part of the Mini Desires menu. However, demand for the drinks grew quickly, eventually surpassing the popularity of the signature item that inspired the business— mini pancakes.
"When people started seeing my dirty sodas, that became more popular, but now it's the milkshake," she explained.
Duckworth said she makes many of her own ingredients and tests each one before adding it to the menu.
"That's what makes it different," she says. "I have my own unique taste, my own unique style...I bring a different vibe to the dirty soda world."
While Mini Desires operates at 42 N. Johnson St. in downtown Alamo, Duckworth also offers her services for pop-up events, catering, birthday parties, and more.
"...Anything people want to book me for, and I bring the spice. I'm not just stuck on certain hours where I take away from being a mother, as well. If being an entrepreneur is what you want to do, then I feel like you should go for it. Don't let anybody tell you anything different. Just because somebody else is making it, you know, work somewhere else, that may not be for you."
About The Mill Workspace: The Mill Workspace, a DBA of Northwest Tennessee Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)3 entrepreneur center located in Dyersburg, TN, and focused on serving entrepreneurs in the nine counties of Northwest Tennessee. They help businesses through one-on-one counseling, workshops, and multi-week programs, all designed to help businesses in the region start up and grow.
Programs at The Mill are funded in part by a grant from LaunchTN.
