MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – In honor of Women’s History Month, WZMQ 19 is highlighting female-owned businesses throughout the Upper Peninsula.
When Lorri Smith set up her first booth at the Marquette Farmers Market in 2015, she never expected her baked goods to take her as far as they have today.
“The pies just took off,” said Smith. “We were selling out every week.”
After so much support from the area over the years, Lorri and her long time friend Patty Barton, created Marquette’s very first pie shop, Peace Pie.
“Pie makes people happy,” continued Smith. “We just had a really dedicated group of customers that just kept showing up for us.”
The two have known each other for over 40 years, as neighbors at one point, both sharing just as much love for baking. Patty is the owner of the building, and stepped in while Lorri was searching for places to open her business.
“When she heard that I was looking for a spot, she called me and she said ‘hey, we need to talk, girl’ and here we are,” said Smith.
Both of them agree that if you find someone to work with who is just as passionate, its all that much easier to move even further together.
“So many people go into business doing the thing that they like to do, like baking, right?” said Barton. “But there’s so much more to that, so you really have to have a vision.”
“Find a business partner that is looking in the same direction as you,” said Smith. “Like, I couldn’t have done this without Patty.”
The bakery opened on Pi day of 2024. In just over a year, they’ve been able to do more than just sell their in-house pies, but also offer catering options for events, as well as host a book club once a month with Bromley’s Books.
To check out their menu and to support Peace Pie, visit peacepiecompany.com.
Click here to view other stories in WZMQ 19’s Female Business Spotlight series.
