Pie Bar Turns 10: A Sweet Woodstock Story

Read more about Pie Bar’s anniversary at the Cherokee Tribune.

Labor Day was extra sweet this year for Woodstock. Pie Bar celebrated 10 years in our downtown and 5 years in Marietta. Lauren and Cody Bolden took a risk in their twenties, quit jobs they didn’t love, and poured themselves into a pie shop that has become a local institution (read more about that journey here).

I wasn’t able to attend their big Labor Day celebration because I had other plans with family, but I plan to stop by this week and pick up one of my favorites. (Their chocolate and chess pies are dangerously good, and my husband’s favorite is their apple pie.)

Pie Bar is more than just dessert. It’s proof of what happens when a community believes in small businesses and when entrepreneurs have the courage to build something special. City leaders talk a lot about “economic development,” but at its heart, it’s really about making sure businesses like Pie Bar can survive and thrive — not just attracting big chains.

That’s what I want to see more of in Woodstock: policies that protect our small businesses, keep rents reasonable, improve walkability, and make downtown a place where local dreams can take root. Because when a family pie shop can last 10 years and expand, the whole city wins.

So this week, I’ll be celebrating Pie Bar’s success the best way I know how: with a slice.