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Carolyn Zinn built a following from running a pie stand on Ballard Road and has now opened a store at 20 Gordon Lane in Wilton where she sells her baked goods.
\n\u00a92021 SaratogaPhotographer.com<\/p>\n
By Susan Elise Campbell<\/p>\n
Customers with a sweet tooth are visiting Sweet Caroline\u2019s Pies at its new location at 20 Gordon Lane in Wilton, near Northway Exit 16.<\/p>\n
Owner Carolyn Zinn said she had built a following from her pie stand on Ballard Road and took the risk to rent a retail shop months into the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
Zinn is a Wilton native who had been away for 20 years when she returned with her husband and family to take care of her aging mother. She had a baked goods and catering business for 10 of those years in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
Customers there called her \u201cSweet Caroline\u201d and when the time came to start the bakery she always dreamed of, she chose her nickname for her business.<\/p>\n
Five years ago, Zinn was running a private lodge in the Catskills doing the cooking. Then she obtained the licenses to bake out of her home, focusing on fresh local produce from Saratoga Apple in Schuylerville and Ariel\u2019s Farm in Gansevoort. She still bakes the apple pies and strawberry pies that are sold at those farms and also supplies Ariel\u2019s with fresh biscuits to serve with the farm\u2019s homemade jams.<\/p>\n
Over time, Sweet Caroline\u2019s added turnovers, cupcakes and other delectables to their offerings. Scones are popular, Zinn said, as are quiches and \u201cdelicious homemade cinnamon raisin bread.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while we had a stand on the highly trafficked corner of Ballard Road and Northern Pines, and that\u2019s when business took off,\u201d said Zinn.<\/p>\n
Her husband can build a pie, too, Zinn said, and as co-owner of the bakery shop, he \u201cis getting more hands-on as the business continues to grow … I get such good support from him. And our daughters and my sister help out as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The building at 20 Gordon Lane was not Zinn\u2019s first choice. A rental situation she was looking at earlier fell through. That\u2019s when she and her husband, Todd, set up the stand behind Stewart\u2019s, helping draw the loyal clientele that has followed them to the new storefront.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe word-of-mouth has been amazing since we opened December 2020,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The building is the former Stewart\u2019s Shops\u00a0 <\/span>location on Ballard Road. It has a separate entrance to the commercial kitchen and a large parking lot, Zinn said.<\/p>\n There is plenty of outdoor area to set up some umbrella tables so \u201cpeople can stop and enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of pie outdoors when the weather warms up,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll be making more berry jams in the summer and maybe Todd will build some picnic tables.\u201d<\/p>\n During colder temperatures, customers can try a hot cocoa bomb. There is safe seating inside and \u201cthe middle area is kept open so customers feel comfortable\u201d with social distancing.<\/p>\n Zinn said the setup is \u201cbeautiful. It was meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Zinn wants to develop a website, continue adding new baked items using local ingredients, and provide wholesale opportunities for other local businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is plenty of space here to stock food and gift items on our shelves to help support other small business owners,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cSweet Caroline\u2019s Pies is in a great community and a very good location. More and more people are coming down from Glens Falls and Queensbury for our sweet treats, and it helps that we are so easy to find and have excellent parking … We are constantly adding different things to our menu so that there\u2019s something sweet for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Sweet Caroline\u2019s Pies is open Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours will expand with warmer weather. Pre-orders and curbside pick-up are available. For more information, search for sweetcarolinespieswiltonon Facebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Carolyn Zinn built a following from running a pie stand on Ballard Road and has now opened a store at 20 Gordon Lane in Wilton where she sells her baked goods. \u00a92021 SaratogaPhotographer.com By Susan Elise Campbell Customers with a sweet tooth are visiting Sweet Caroline\u2019s Pies at its new location at 20 Gordon Lane […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":35952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-women-in-business"],"yoast_head":"\r\n