Women of The Fudge Shoppe

 March celebrates Women’s History Month, and with The Fudge Shoppe being around since 1961, there has been plenty of history made, along with some wonderful women that complete this small family-owned business! We would like to take a moment to highlight some of the kind, hard-working and generous women that have been here through thick and thin!

 Anna Burry, better known as Mrs. Burry, was one of the founders alongside her husband, Allen Burry. You can often find her in what we call “Mrs. Burry’s Room”, packaging our Signature Almond Butter Crunch, pulling apart everyone’s favorite Shoestring Licorice, or packing a General Assortment like no other. She is one of the sweetest people we have on our team, an inspiration to everyone around her, and not only that, but she sure does keep us laughing all day long.  

 Since she is part of the reason why The Fudge Shoppe is here today, we asked her what it was like being a female co-owner of a business back in the 1960s. 

 “It was definitely hard at first because we were trying to build our organization and we were limited to our space considering we lived upstairs. But it was nice to be a family-owned business because that came with a lot of support and freedom.” 

 If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time of working alongside her at The Fudge Shoppe, it’s that everyone definitely needs a Mrs. Burry in their life. 

 Leslie Pettenati is one of the daughters of Anna and Allen Burry, and the sister of Susan Gilchrest and Stephen Burry. She grew up right above The Fudge Shoppe and has been working here since she was a little girl! Leslie is best known for creating all things baskets! In fact, if you’ve ever purchased one of our Gift Baskets, there’s a high chance that it was made by Leslie. Since she is always helping us prepare for each season we asked her which holiday is her favorite to gear up for.

"Definitely Easter because it means Spring is here! It is also the most colorful holiday, so the store looks so beautiful. It also celebrates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Leslie is always so willing to help our team members out and provide them with all the tips and tricks they need to successfully put together a beautiful gift box. Leslie is a diligent, hard-working, and an inspiring woman who helps keep this business running smoothly day in and day out!

 Susan Gilchrest is also one of the daughters of Anna and Allen Burry. She is a woman of many talents and without her, the Shoppe would be nothing! She keeps track of every product that comes into our building, helps with whatever is needed, and is always so friendly to not only our team members but every customer that comes through our doors. Plus, she is a professional at piping greeting notes on our Chocolate Cards and we really don’t know how she nails it every time! 

 Susan has grown up working for The Fudge Shoppe since she was a little girl. Now she has taken over ownership along with her husband, Rich Gilchrest, and her siblings, Leslie Pettenati and Stephen Burry. Now owning a small business, we asked her what advice she would have for other female business owners out there. 

 “People spend most of their waking hours at work so you need to love the people you work with. It’s really important to have the right people on your team. 1 + 1 can actually equal 3 when you have a similar work ethic. Don’t be afraid of working with your husband! Rich is my best friend so we really enjoy being together at work.” 

 We love working with Susan, for she is so willing, generous and a great friend to have around every day.

 Alysia married Stephen Burry, who is the son of Anna and Allen Burry. You can often find her working upstairs in the office doing many behind the scene things you don’t even realize need to be done when owning a business.  Having not always been a part of  The Fudge Shoppe, we asked Alysia what it was like marrying into a family-owned business and she replied with, 

"At first it was a really fun and scary thought. Everyone here are such hard working people and I never thought I would be able to work like them while raising a family. However, it was surprisingly natural how quickly I was able to adapt. I also love how we are always able to keep our work life and family life separate. For example, after having a crazy day during a busy holiday season, we're able to just go home and have a family game night."

 Alysia is one of the most welcoming individuals and we always look forward to when she’s working upstairs. We are so fortunate to now have her as a part of this family-owned business! Her constant support and dedication here at The Fudge Shoppe certainly does not go unnoticed.

 Esther Yengst is better known as Aunt Essie, who is the sister of our founder, Anna Burry. She works with her sister, Anna, throughout the day, to help pack any and all assortments. From our General Assortment to our Salted Caramel Assortment, or our Cherry Cordial Assortment. You name it, she can pack it!  

 Aunt Essie is someone you can always count on to help you out. She makes everything look effortless and does everything with a giant smile on her face. We asked her what it’s like working alongside her sister and she answered, 

 “You’re gonna ask me in front of her?!” to which she then followed up by saying, “I’m just kidding, I think we get along really well and have a lot of fun working together. We may have our moments, but I think we make a great team.”  

 We are so lucky to have Aunt Essie on our team! From her bright personality to her ability to help the young team members around her, we can’t thank her enough for being such a light in our organization. 

 We love being inspired by all of the remarkable women here at The Fudge Shoppe! Help us celebrate Women’s History Month by sharing down below an inspirational woman in your life or a favorite memory of one of ours!