The Great Pie Tasting
Earlier today, we sent over a proposed Letter of Intent on a space in Chesterfield. I have no idea what the response will be since it inevitably involves much negotiation. It’s worth noting here because it feels like a significant step in the growth of PJP. So let’s see what else we were doing mid-summer in previous years:
2022: I got a cortisone shot in my foot, which is only worth discussing each time someone stops by PJP and says it must be fun to own a bakery. It certainly can be fun but the fun is always when standing on concrete.
2021: We took possession of the space at West from The Kroenke Group. We were naive enough to believe we would be open by mid-fall. In reality, it would be February of the next year before we officially opened. I could write a book about what we learned from the build out of our second location.
2020: Our family headed out on the vacation we worried wouldn’t happen because of the pandemic. We leave in a few weeks for our annual summer sojourn to 30A and I have no idea if we will have enough coverage at the stores or exactly how it is all going to work, but we’re going to make it work.
2019: We did a pop-up shop at Williams Sonoma in Kansas City, which was super fun. I actually just thought about that when we were in Kansas City for Taylor Swift. That area of Kansas City has 10/10 shopping and we probably should have pursued more pop-up opportunities in retrospect, but our store was busy and plans for West were underway.
2018: Our electric bill for 1,050 square feet at Buttonwood was $811 and I was OUTRAGED. Actually, I’m still outraged because we average around $950 for 2,200 square feet now. If I can leave one legacy from my entrepreneurial journey: negotiate your HVAC repairs into your commercial lease. You are welcome.
2017: We went to a local bank to sign on a line of credit and they changed their mind and said we couldn’t do it unless our husbands signed along with us. We got up and walked out. In the next month, we would move everything to First State Community Bank and never look back. But I’m still holding a grudge.
2016: We joined Instagram (@peggyjeanspies) at Ellery’s insistence because even when she was 10, she was skilled at social media. Even now, one of my favorite part of the day is to watch all the stories she posts there daily.
2015: The new Starbucks opened and it was a debacle in the parking lot. Eight years later, it’s still a debacle (though the relocation of Sonic to the other side of the intersection should help). Moving to the other side of the shopping center was the most solid decision our 2015 selves could have made.
2014: We hosted our second ever Epic Pie Tasting, though at the time we called it “The Great Pie Tasting”. We had so much to learn and like most things, we made it all very difficult on ourselves. For starters, we made 15 different flavors. And we made them in a very early iteration of the tart shape we use today. It was a mess, but thankfully everyone loved our mess and stuck with us while we figured it out. (There’s a pie tasting scheduled for next week and only two tickets are left!)
