Monday, January 31, 2011

Cold Weather Coming!

If the meteorologist are correct, then tonight and tomorrow are going to be BAD! They are saying we will have freezing rain, ice, and possibly 8 inches of snow!

If this is the case, then there is a chance we will not be open. Many of our employees live out of town in rural areas and if they cannot make it to work then we will not be open. Please call before you come to either shop at the retail store, get pecans cracked, or sell your pecans.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Buying Pecans

After talking with Dad today, we will still be buying pecans at least until Feb. 5, 2011. After that we are not sure. Currently we are still paying $1.10 per pound.

Take advantage of the pretty weather we are having and make some money at the same time!

We are open Monday through Saturday 9am until 5pm.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Divinity Fudge is Back...and PINK!

Our homemade Divinity Fudge is back but with a twist!

Kathy colored the fudge pink for Valentine's Day. Too Cute!!!

Stop in for a sample today.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

"O Canada"

Dad just returned from a trip to Canada as a representative of "U.S. Pecans". Dad is currently serving as the President of the Texas Pecan Growers Association. He along with other members of the TPGA and some Georgia pecan growers went to Canada to promote the use of pecans.

While the temperatures were extremely cold (Dad said breathing the outside air was like having knives poke your lungs) I do think the reception of the Canadian business men and women was very warm.

Dad spent two days discussing the health benefits of pecans, the many uses for pecans, the shipping capabilities, and storage options as well as many more topics. Hopefully soon we will have Texas pecans heading North to our Canadian neighbors.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Fudge Dipped Strawberries...Coming Soon!



February 1st will be the first day we have Fudge Dipped Strawberries available to the public. We dip large, juicy strawberries into our homemade chocolate or white fudge and the result is a taste of pure heaven!

The Fudge Dipped Strawberries will be sold for $1.50 each or $16.95 per dozen. Please call or stop by to order yours today.

Remember to call in your order for Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th).

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Back from Market

This past weekend I attended the Dallas Gift Market with Becky and Jeri (Mom backed out...so Jeri stepped in). We spent all day Saturday and half a day Sunday looking at all the new and exciting products vendors had available. (Of course, we did a little personal shopping as well but we also did A LOT of walking...so we deserved it.)

Many new products will be arriving at our store in the next few weeks. Texas Products and J.T. Giftware had a lot of new items in their booths. We ordered several new Texas souvenirs from both of these vendors. We also purchased several unique style of crosses and some new UT, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and TCU items as well.

The item I am most excited about is the "FireWire Flexible Grilling Skewer"!


This item will be a great gift for any man on your list or for anyone who likes to grill. I will have more info as soon as it arrives.

Keep watching for more posts as other new products arrive at the Pecan Shed!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Good News!

Tiffany, who has been with the Pecan Shed for several years now, got news just recently that she can do her clinical hours for her college major at United Regional.

This is such good news for me because that means I get to keep Tiffany around the Pecan Shed for one more pecan season!

While working at the Pecan Shed is not the most difficult job in the world, it is hard to find and train new employees to do a job that is very seasonal and very fast paced for three months.

Tiffany is a wonderful employee and I am just thrilled she will be staying on with us!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Back Up and Running

Saturday our air compressor that runs our main cracking machines broke. We spent the rest of the day and most of Monday apologizing to customers who brought their pecans in to be cracked.

Usually, we take pride in being able to crack your pecans either while you wait or at least in just a few hours. However, some things are just beyond our control.

Thankfully our "fix it guy" Scott came up late yesterday and again today to fix the air compressor. We are now up and fully operational again in the cracking department.

To get your pecans cracked we charge $0.40 per pound. It is best to sort your pecans by sizes in order for us to do the best job we can on cracking your pecans.

As I said, we usually can do the job while you wait. However, if it will take a little while or if you would simply like to come back for you pecans later we can take your information to guarantee you will get your pecans back.

We do crack pecans for the public year round.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Getting Ready for Market

Friday night Mom, Becky, and I will head down to Dallas to go to Market. This we where we look for new gift and food items to stock at our store.

January Market is always a fun time because the store is pretty bare and so we are looking for new and exciting things to stock with the empty shelves with.

However, there is a lot of preparation that goes into Market. We must do an inventory and since ours is not computer based this is very time consuming and tedious. We also look at what products did well and what did not and make choices on what lines to discontinue.

We also look over catalogs and small business magazines to see what is upcoming and new. This helps us have a focus at Market.

While I cannot take my entire staff to Market, they all play a role in helping Market be a success.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Still Buying Pecans...

We are still buying pecans. Currently we are paying $1.10 per pound. However that price is subject to change.

While I do not know for sure the final date we will buy pecans this season I do know it is coming. I have heard we will "more than likely" buy until the end of January but that is never a 100% guarantee.

The best thing I can suggest is if you still have pecans you think you might want to sell you should either sell them soon or at least call and check every other day or so to make sure we are still buying.

When the final day for buying pecans is known we will get a notice about a week before. Remember we can only buy new crop pecans that are well filled out and are dry.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Clean and Clear

January is always a month that we use to clean at the Pecan Shed. We clean the retail area as well as we clean up all our reports and customer files we have. We also clearance most of our Christmas stuff and a lot of our home decor stuff that we will not continue to carry.

After a few days of cleaning we now have a store that is very open and we even have a few shelves that are empty. Usually our store is packed with merchandise.

This is good news though. Mom, Becky, and I will be going to Market January 22nd so now we have room for new and exciting gift items!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

My Mistake is to Your Benefit...

I am not sure whether to blame exhaustion or the fact that I was just simply amazed at how fast December had flown by, but for some reason I had Kathy make a crazy amount of Candy Cane (peppermint) fudge on December 30th.

Candy Cane was our Fudge Flavor of the Month for December. Now that we are in January we need to move this fudge out to make room for other flavors that are coming soon.

Soooo...

From now until we run out of it, each customer will get a free piece of Candy Cane fudge with any and all purchases! Ask the friendly staff for more information or to receive your free piece. Hurry in...free fudge does not last long!

Enjoy...the fudge is on me!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Fudge Flavor of the Month for January is...

...Caramel Pecan Cheesecake! This fudge was so popular back in the Fall we decided to bring it back again early this year.

It is our famous fudge mix with a twist! We add cream cheese, caramel, and LOTS of pecans to make this fudge a tasty treat.

Hurry in...we will only have this fudge available through January.

Stop in for a taste or go ahead and buy a piece or two. It is so worth it!