9 Years and 11 Months
Without question, I’ll be happy to see August come to an end this week. It’s our second slowest month of the year and coupled with the heat, it just makes the month seem interminably long. Plus, we are heading into our four busiest months of the year, so I feel like we are just waiting around on the starter block for the action to start. I bet it was the same in other years, so let’s see:
2022: The back of the building at PJP Nifong was painted, sacrificing the tomato plant that was growing well in the crack of the asphalt parking lot from an errant Subway tomato slice that never made it to the dumpster. In January of this year, we would receive a bill for $4500 for our share of the painting. I would rather have the tomato plant.
2021: A local business announced their closure, prompting me to remember that no matter how long we’ve been at this game…no business is truly safe from the fluctuation of the market. And our 2021 selves were just rolling out of a global pandemic and couldn’t even see the inflation on the horizon.
2020: It was hot and sales were slow. I’m sensing a trend. Also, there was a nationwide shortage of gooseberries and large Kraft bags. The pandemic was a weird time.
2019: We were 10 days out from our move from Buttonwood to Nifong. We covered the windows at Nifong with butcher paper to preserve the big reveal of the new space. In retrospect, I doubt anyone cared that much but I adore we believed they did.
2018: Jeanne tried to convince us to all wear chef hats. That tracks.
2017: We participated In a magazine story shoot for a University Hospital publication because Jeanne almost died there a few months earlier of a pulmonary embolism. Only she can parlay a terrifying near death experience into a cover model situation.
2016: We were working on fried pies. That was a decent idea in theory, but not every idea is a good idea. I still feel sick thinking about how many things we fried and tasted.
2015: Someone order 2,760 Jelly Jars. Trust me when I say we weren’t equipped to make that many jars. Not to be deterred, we did it but it darn near killed us.
2014: Our first outdoor sign was hung at PJP Buttonwood, a mere five months after we opened. We saved up $3700 for the sign and loved it immediately upon arrival. As it turns out, the landlord was supposed to approve it and eventually it would lead everyone to ask if we sold pies or jeans, but it didn’t sway our love. It hangs now in the hallway at Nifong and honestly, I still like it all these years later.
2013: This blog launched on September 25, 2013 and that means 9 years and 11 months of my life at PJP is available on the Internet. Which is good because one day when we are assembling our PJP museum in the headquarters, paying $3700 for our first sign will be a fun fact on a wall plaque.