Seven years ago when Amy's Ice Creams owners Steve and Amy Simmons decided to build the Austinville 78750 development on US 183, their dream was to make a family-friendly hub of locally owned businesses.

In 2013, iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Amy's Ice Creams, Phil's Icehouse and Baked by Amy's opened. Baked by Amy's, which opened Dec. 3, specializes in making sweets such as truffles, cakes, bars, brownies and cookies and began offering decorating classes for children ages 6–12 in January.

"The reality is that Northwest Austin is finally getting a good dose of the iconic Austin businesses that everybody loves," Steve Simmons said.

Since the opening of Phil's, Amy's and iFLY, business has been booming, and a grand opening party for Austinville is scheduled for the beginning of March, he said. The entertainment and eatery center has attracted many employees from the technology sector as well as families, he said.

"It's a hit, and we don't even have a sign up yet," Steve Simmons said. "It has surpassed a lot of our expectations."

In 2014, the Simmons family plans to expand their brand with a business education program that they have been developing for about four years. The program, deemed Amy's Edu, focuses on teaching good practices to business owners.

The couple purchased a building on Anderson Lane to use for the program's classes, Steve Simmons said. Education classes could be officially introduced in 2015 and will be open to anyone.

Adjacent to the property, Steve Simmons is helping to develop a second phase of Austinville 78750. That center is being renovated and will be home to four new tenants that are expected to open later in the year. The Simmonses worked with the new tenants to ensure that their companies will thrive.

"Even though it is two separate land owners, we want them to be successful because of us and us to be successful because of them," Steve Simmons said.

The new businesses are Papalote Taco House, women's clothing store Strut, the Soup Peddler and retail store Tejas Running and Trails.

"The whole concept of Austinville is that this is a community and these are local businesses," Steve Simmons said. "We kind of have it all here."