SPRELLY: PEANUT BUTTER SHOP WITH HEART

"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 exclusively toward production and consumer-packaged goods, which provided them with a solid foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sprelly

A local peanut butter store with a lot of heart

by ryan cudahay

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 peanuts, including Double-D Dipped Milk 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 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.

critical. "You're helping your friend," he said. "You're helping a family member." He highlighted that it is important for Ryan Cudahy is a local writer

LetterstoSanta

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.

Laurie Black

Guest Porch Editorial

Contributing Writers & Artists

Rita Allan Audra Bielke Sally Cooney Anderson Amy Bayne Laurie Black Dianne Bachman Sonja Cantu Nicole Castaneda Collette Caprara Beverly Coates Ryan Cudahay Janet Douberly Elizabeth Daly Christina Ferber Ken Duckworth Frank Fratoe Bill Freehling David Elphel Jon Gerlach Shirley Grant Lisa Gillen Kathleen Harrigan Anne Hicks Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks David C. Kennedy Ray Mikula Vanessa Moncure Pete Morelewicz Patrick Neustatter Sara Poore Penny A Parrish ML Powers Paula Raudenbush Rob Rudick Mandy Smith Savannah Stebleinj Tina Will Norma Woodward

Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co. Virginia Bigenwald Grogan, Publisher.

The mission of Front Porch Fredericksburg is to connect the diverse citizenry of Fredericksburg with lively features and informative columns of interest to our community’s greatest resource, its people.

Messages from our readers are welcome. All submissions must be received by e-mail by the 19th of the month preceding publication.

Writers / Artists / Photographers are welcome to request Guidelines and query the Publisher by e-mail.

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ON THE PORCH

tRADITIONS

by Laurie Black

This time last year I was writing for Front Porch Fredericksburg about finding new ways to celebrate and new ways to give gifts. The pandemic had canceled travel plans and drastically altered usual holiday traditions.

Traditions are important. They give us a sense of continuity and belonging. Traditions connect generations and help define our family and community culture. Naturally, traditions are valued and safeguarded. When something challenges our traditions, it can be unsettling to say the least.

However, not all traditions endure and that's alright. Likewise, not all change is bad.

This time last year I was also completing my bachelor's degree. I was definitely what you would call a nontraditional student. I began a university education in a traditional way, taking colleges classes right out of high school like many young students do. In my sophomore year I had a change in my life which necessitated a change in those traditional education plans.

Though my educational journey was not what I originally planned, I am grateful for the experiences and new perspectives I gained along the way. Being a non-traditional student actually helped my children see how important education is to me. As a result, the love of learning in its many forms - has become part of our family values and traditions.

Traditions are a part of our everyday life though we may not consciously think of them each day. For example, how we dress, how we speak, and how we greet each other are likely based on our traditions. There are sports traditions, college traditions, and birthday traditions. Traditions significantly influence weddings, births, worship/faith, funerals and other major life events. Yet, most conversations about traditions, especially at this time of year, center on which holidays we celebrate and how we celebrate them.

This holiday season, unlike the last, our family will be able to gather and enjoy treasured family traditions. I am looking forward to the hugs, laughs, sights, sounds, smells, and flavors that make our home seem to come alive with holiday magic. However, it will not be quite the same and I am actually glad that it will not the be same.

This year our family welcomes a new daughter-in-law and a new son-in-law into our holiday celebrations. They come with their own holiday customs and traditions which we are excited to learn and blend into our celebration. As our family grows our traditions become enriched with new ideas and foods and fun. It is family traditions version 2.0 and I love it!

As happy as I am for the upcoming holiday season, I acknowledge many others are approaching the season with trepidation. Many friends, neighbors, and people in our community are dealing with chronic illness, loss of employment, loss of a loved one, or a myriad of other challenges. The holiday season is so infused with tradition, it can be hard to know how to move forward when significant circumstances or people in our life have changed.

What I am learning from my friends and neighbors is that it is okay to be sad. It is okay to need space. It is okay to invite new people to become part your traditions or start new traditions altogether.

Again, traditions are important for us as individuals, families, and communities. There is comfort and security in the sense of belonging and connection they bring. However, as British writer and playwright, W. Somerset Maugham, said, "Tradition is a guide and not a jailer." So, if you need to reinvent how you connect and belong this holiday season, I hope you can let go when you need to and embrace new things when you can. For all of us, may we find peace and joy in this season and in the connections and traditions that bring us together. May kindness, patience, forgiveness, charity, and integrity be part of our community tradition.

And of course, I hope you will make it a tradition to pick up the latest edition of Front Porch Fredericksburg, and read it cover to cover!

Laurie Black is a wife, mother, grandmother, freelance writer, and the Program Coordinator for the Senior Visitors Program at Mental Health America of Fredericksburg.