Three Sisters Decide Pies are their Recipe to Success

Allison (Alli), Erin and Catherine (Cat) Blakely grew up making pies in their mother's kitchen and now, after exploring careers in New York and as far away as Iraq, they have spent the past year back in their mother's kitchen, making pies together and starting a business. Pie Sisters will open its first store at 3423 M St. in November.

The Blakely sisters grew up in Northern Va. and attended church at on O Street in Georgetown. Recently they've used the church kitchen to make pies for catered events--just last weekend they made pies for three different weddings.

Erin Blakely spoke with Patch recently about their business endeavor.

She credits her mom, Christal, for being so supportive and her dad, Robert, who also owns his own company, for inspiring the girls to start their own business.

That's not to say that Christal doesn't worry about her daughters working together all the time.

"I think she’s a little hesitant of the sisters starting a business. As you can imagine that is a lot of time for siblings to be together."

But, Erin said, she and her sisters generally get along pretty well. Even when they were little girls and had their own rooms, they all wound up sleeping over in each others rooms together.

"We’ve all always liked to be around each other," she said.

Erin and Catherine attended the same school and lived together while there.

"We don’t fight as much as everyone might expect. There’s such a huge pressure in getting this business started and we’ve invested so much in it. There’s not really time to sit there and have a bone out fight," she said.

What about the new business keeps the sisters up at night?

"The unexpected," said Erin and wondering, "what’s going to happen when we first open our doors?"

And in a down economy, taking on a new business venture is perhaps even more challenging than normal.

The courage to take on such a challenge "has a lot to do with how you’re raised," said Erin. At the risk of sounding corny, Erin said her family has always embraced the mantra that "you sink or swim, you have to work for yourself."

Erin said her family's support for one another is what has made their efforts even possible.

"You really do want to work at something really hard," she explained.

One year from now, what would she consider a success for all that hard work?

"Hopefully we’ll still be in business," Erin half-joked.

On a more serious note, she said she hopes their store becomes part of the community and that their pies "become a staple in Georgetown."

Just this past weekend, several cuppie apple pies were on display at the fair and bake sale.

Their pies are already developing a devoted fan base, at least among the sisters' friends and acquaintances.

Darin Martin, who previously worked on the same floor as Cat and Alli at the State Department several years ago, recently got a chance to see what all the fuss was about.

"Oh my gosh," said Martin. "I’ll tell you straight up if its average," but in his opinion these pies are far from it. 

"The crust, you can almost eat on its own...my wife and I both think that crust is just actually amazing," he gushed.

The girls make three sizes-- 9-inch, 7-inch and the "cuppie." Martin tried the apple pie and a "cuppie" bourbon chocolate pecan pie. He said the pecan pie wins hands down.

The pies from the bakery section at his local Giant now just won't do. He's "ruined" for ordinary pies now said Martin.

Hopeful for his former coworkers' endeavor, Martin said he believes they'll succeed, "the quality, that’s whats going to sell."

If all of their customers are like Martin, the Pie Sisters will still be around this time next year.