By Heather Clower
The Parsons Advocate
Macy Nestor, a 2020 graduate of Tucker County High School, began working out of her kitchen with her mother, Lucinda, in 2019 to recreate an apple treat recipe found on social media. Since then, she flourished into a very successful business which has now outgrown her home kitchen. After Covid hit, Nestor and her classmates were sent out into the world lacking the last few months of their senior year, along with a traditional prom and graduation ceremony. During that time, she decided to take her Gourmet Apples to the next level and open a retail location.
Situated between Farm Up Table and Thomasyard on Front Street in Thomas, Nestor enlisted the help of her parents and family to bring new life to a vacant retail space to showcase her sweet and sticky treats. Nestor chose to bring her storefront to Thomas due to the high volume of tourist foot traffic in that area.
Nestor stated, “So far it’s going well.” Once she realized how popular her treats were, it became evident that what began as a way to earn money for prom and graduation became more of a full time position. “This will be my job,” she stated.
Macy Lou’s has begun offering fundraiser options for organizations looking for ways to generate revenue. She recalled a fundraiser she conducted for a dance group known as Center Stage that yielded over 600 apple orders. During the Christmas holiday season, Nestor produced over 1,000 apples, many of which went as gifts.
Nestor’s mom still offers to help in the store when her schedule allows, and her Dad Rick leads the way on the renovations and construction aspects for Nestor’s new endeavor. In addition to her apples, Nestor is also offering apple butter, courtesy of her grandmother Louise Waybright’s recipe, and apple pies. Smaller gourmet apples will also be making their way to the menu that would be especially appealing for children. Nestor is offering Macy Lou’s T-shirts for sale that she had custom made by Rocky Bottom Custom Prints.
Up until the grand opening, Nestor has worked from custom orders, now she is going to offer ready-made treats on her shelves for anyone wishing to drop by for a sweet treat. “It’s going to be a learning curve,” L. Nestor admitted. Figuring out which flavors to keep in stock and on the shelves could be difficult, but with time she is confident it will become apparent what to keep on hand.
The new retail space hours will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Once the weather breaks, Nestor expects those hours to be adjusted. For anyone wishing to place an order or is interested in learning about fundraiser opportunities, they can reach out to Nestor on Facebook or by calling (304) 614-4181, or stop by the shop during her new business hours.
