Sprelly A local peanut butter store with a lot of heart by ryan cudahay exclusively toward production and consumer-packaged goods, which provided them with a solid foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"If you want to get a coffee, where do you go? If you want to get a chicken sandwich, where do you go?" Adrian Silversmith asked these questions when talking about his purpose behind Sprelly. "There's bagel stores, there's ice cream stores, there's all these types of stores. But there isn't a PB&J store." At least not until recently. Sprelly, a small business in Fredericksburg, is devoted to crafting delicious, homemade peanut butter and other items. Silversmith pitched the concept of Sprelly at Fredericksburg's Made in FredVA business plan contest in 2013, and began selling his peanut butter at local farmers markets in 2014. Two years later, Silversmith opened Sprelly on Caroline Street, where he and his wife, Casey, provided patrons with sandwiches and crêpes. They slowly began to pivot
Sprelly has now set up shop at a new location at 1501 Princess Anne St. in Fredericksburg's Canal Quarter District, which Silversmith believes will be a prime spot for business. "The idea is to snackshop," Silversmith said, "But you can also come grab-and-go a picnic, and either go to Old Mill Park, go to [Red Dragon] Brewery, stuff like that." Sprelly has a number of items that include not just peanut butter (of which I can personally recommend the delectable Salted Butterscotch flavor), but many new options as well. Most recently, Sprelly launched a variety of flavored Dipped Milk peanuts, including Double-D Chocolate and Toasted Toffee flavors. They are also currently providing guests with a seasonal Harvest Spice peanut butter through the fall season. Silversmith believes their "flavor-centric" approach will greatly please guests, as they will be provided with as many flavor experiences as possible.
But Sprelly is about more than just selling peanut butter. Silversmith has placed a crucial emphasis on buying products and ingredients from local businesses, from Virginia peanut farms to local printing companies for his mugs. He is also speaking with local farms to harvest fruit for upcoming jellies, which he hopes to begin selling at Sprelly next year. For Silversmith, supporting local businesses is
critical. "You're helping your friend," he said. "You're helping a family member." He highlighted that it is important for
small businesses, particularly in Fredericksburg, to band together and be there for one another. And Sprelly continues to follow through on that action. As they move forward, however, Sprelly has an even larger focus. In addition to the goal of franchising the company's stores, Silversmith hopes to employ people with disabilities at not just the current Sprelly, but every eventual Sprelly as well. The building that houses Sprelly is owned by the disAbility Resource Center, and supporting people with disabilities is essential to both Silversmith and his wife, Casey. Both have been outspoken advocates for employing people with disabilities, and he says that word has caught on, as many people have approached him to thank him for what he and Casey are striving to achieve. "It is so humbling and powerful to hear something like that," Silversmith said. Sprelly, 1501 Princess Anne St. or order products at sprelly.com. Follow them on Facebook for their latest hours. Ryan Cudahy is a local writer
Letters to Santa
For three weeks, a wonder occurs! A mysterious mailbox, bearing the image of Santa Claus himself, appears in downtown Fredericksburg. Legend has it that a child who deposits a letter into the mailbox will receive an answer directly from the North Pole. Santa’s mailbox will appear for the holiday magic through December 19th, located at the corner of George Street & Caroline Street, in front of the Fort-To-Go Store. The Santa Mailbox is overseen by the Fredericksburg Rappahannock Rotary Club. Please remember to include your return address.
front porch fredericksburg
December 2021
3
