Ugly Pie opens storefront in downtown Salisbury: 'It’s nice to have a home finally'

A little — or a big — slice of heaven can now be found in downtown Salisbury.  

The Ugly Pie, known for its homemade pie creations, opened its first storefront Nov. 4. The three owners, Bridget Perry, Heather Hall, and Shaina Bounds, started the business in November 2014 and can now offer customers a permanent place to pick up and enjoy their confections.

“I think it was really cool for our regulars," said Bounds. "We have people who buy from us all the time, and for them to come in and be like, ‘hey, I don’t have to meet you in a parking lot or meet you at a random place anymore,’ ... they really like that”

The shop, located on West Main Street, welcomes in guests with its rustic, red brick walls and wooden, wrought iron tables. Bounds said the women decided to go with a minimalist design, but are still working on adding artwork. 

The building dates back to the early 1900s, and Bounds said the goal was to pay homage to that, especially through keeping the original brick. 

“We really love the brick, so we actually put a lot of our focus on picking colors and things that would complement the brick, but also bring it out," she said. 

Customers walk up to the counter, where they can view the flavors available that day. Ugly Pie makes about 20 different pie flavors in 9-inch full size, 5-inch pint size, and 3-inch teacups.

Background:Ugly Pie baking up rustic, made-from-scratch confections

Some of its most popular flavors during the holiday season include pear cranberry & walnut crumb, crème brulee, pumpkin cheesecake and apple butter custard. Or, anything chocolate, Bounds said, laughing.   

The shop also offers Night Kitchen Coffee and Chesapeake Bay Farms vanilla ice cream. 

Opening a storefront has definitely changed the baking schedule, Bounds said. Before, the three women still spent three to five days a week baking, but some days were lighter than others. Now, it's a constant turnaround to make sure there are pies for the store in flavors customers are seeking.  

“Now, it’s a guessing game and we’ve been in almost every day for the past week and a half, two weeks just getting things prepped and ready… ," she said.  

Bounds said the store's point-of-sale system is helping the women keep track of which flavors are selling better than others so the trio can make the supply meet the demand. 

And it's clear the demand in Salisbury for Ugly Pie is high. On the day of the shop's soft opening, Bounds said customers were lined up before they even opened. And the rush didn't stop. 

“We sold out by 4 p.m.," she said. "And we had family, friends, new customers, old customers, we even had some of our vendors stop by. It was really, really fun. Really great. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and really liked the space.”

With the amount of business the shop is receiving, Ugly Pie decided to close for walk-in purchases until Nov. 25, according to a Facebook post. But, customers can still place orders for Thanksgiving. 

Related:The Ugly Pie is moving downtown

Since opening in 2014, the Ugly Pie trio have grown as bakers and businesswomen.

“For us as a group to actually sit there and make business decisions and grow from that and learn from that has definitely been a challenge," she said. 

Bounds said they chose each other as business partners because of their strengths, and each woman brings something different to the table. They've watched each other tackle challenges like time management, trend prediction, budgeting and even upping the amount of pie crusts they can turn out in a short time. 

The three women don't pay themselves out of Ugly Pie's profits, she said. Every dollar made goes right back into the business, which was one of the biggest helps with making the storefront a reality. 

“We want the business to succeed," Bounds said. 

While Ugly Pie currently only bakes sweet pies, Bounds said they'd like to see it become a real restaurant with quiches and savory pies down the road. 

Ugly Pie will hold its ribbon-cutting at this month's Third Friday, Nov. 17, at 4:30 p.m. Sometime in December, Bounds said the trio is looking at throwing an official grand opening. 

While opening a storefront did come with its challenges, Bounds said the trio is excited to reap its sweet rewards. 

“It was tiring, but definitely worth it. It’s nice to have a home finally," she said. 

If you go 

What: The Ugly Pie 

Where: 501 W. Main St., Suite C in Salisbury

When: Tuesdays through Thursdays, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

Thanksgiving orders: Special orders are being accepted until Wednesday, Nov. 15

Contact: 747-666-7432 or Facebook