The DillyBean's first months have been anything but bitter. The recently opened market and cafe in Schenectady is outperforming expectations.
The entrepreneur behind it is a 23-year-old Saint Rose grad. The store will celebrate its early success Friday with a ribbon cutting.
As a business owner, Abby Rockmacher is all about the green.
“I tell people when I look at pickles, all I see are dollar signs,” Rockmacher joked.
Rockmacher is the owner and sole employee of The DillyBean, which specializes in pickled products. The Jay Street shop opened in January.
"I have tripled every month that we projected,” said Rockmacher, referring to her earnings surpassing projections.
It is news the Niskayuna native relishes, as she is backing the business with her own money after being denied a loan.
"We found out a week before it was going to open that I wasn't getting the loan, and you just make it work,” said Rockmacher.
Inside are items from local vendors along with vegetables Abbey has pickled like cucumbers, sauerkraut, green beans, or the jalapeno spicy dilly beans.
She lacto-ferments. It’s considered the most natural way to preserve food.
"It pickles everything, so it not only preserves it, but it adds probiotics so it is a super healthy snack,” said Rockmacher.
Abbey’s process is often paused to serve customers. Interruptions she welcomes.
"The food is great. She supports local. She is local. You should be supporting her,” said one woman stopping by for lunch.
Using compostable materials, recycling, and serving locally sourced natural good, it’s a small business founded on the philosophy of “green.”