Do you tell winding, but gripping, stories that have stops along the way, then circle back and out, before getting to your main point — the main point that was two points ago?
And do you have a friend/ partner who is patient enough to go with you through this interconnected journey because the stories she tells are from the same meandering webbed language?
Have you ever jammed out on the piano, soloing out of (but always in) control and have called to the drummer or bass player “Stay with me”?
Wait -- no, we haven’t done exactly that but we have called out stories across a loud kitchen while rolling pie dough. And between the legs of such stories, we have also thought, “Stay with me! Stay with me until I get to my final thought destination (or maybe a newer, better thought destination)”.
In 2011, we got a wild hair to start making pies and have been at it now for ten years. On occasion, in laughter or in tears, we still need to say “stay with me”.
So, here we are. In September, Windowsill Pies will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. Wow. Ten years. A decade is a substantial chunk.
Our steepest step was the act of beginning in September (date unknown, but it was a weekend) 2011. But the second steepest step was opening up our brick and mortar on Freret Street in October 2020. And to add a vertical leap to that undertaking, throw in a pandemic going on two years.
When we started the process of the brick and mortar, it was just a far off dream. We gathered data, learned more about margins, pricing, QuickBooks. Took classes, got the ear of people who knew more, started writing a true business plan. We had helpers and mentors, for sure. But there was no book, no online resources — just a lot of different and conflicting answers at City Hall, just… just…
There is no way we can create the linear guidebook we would’ve loved to have.
However, we thought, why don’t we offer up what we have learned, as we remember past experiences, and, in real time, as we continue to have new ones.
So, City Hall, permitting, vendors, plumbing, staffing, pandemic…
Sooooo… Stay with us!
photo by Abbie Brandao