Soft Pretzel Factory Twists into Hackettstown

Carl Boos says he knew his job was “going away,” and despite the economic conditions, was ready to pursue his dream of business ownership.

The Mount Olive resident of 20 years said he could see his job in the circulation sector of the newspaper industry was coming to an end, and rather than wait for the time to come, he put his dream into action.

While working in Easton, Pa., Boos became a frequent customer of the nearby Philadelphia Soft Pretzel Factory franchise, and before long, began questioning the owner about everything from equipment costs to work hours.

“When we began thinking about opening a business,” Boos said of he and his wife’s decision to become entrepreneurs, “we looked into franchises. After looking around and learning more about the company, [Philly Soft Pretzel Factory] went to the top of the list.”

So Boos and his wife, Erica, went down to Philadelphia to meet with the company’s owners to learn more. What was supposed to be a 45-minute discussion turned into three hours, and the Boos family was signing papers to open their own store before leaving the city.

“It was a good fit all around,” Boos said smiling.

And so the new life of business ownership began. The Boos family–including their two children–hopped in the car and visited dozens of individual franchises in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to see what practices and procedures would work best for the new location.

From there, the owner-operator spent a week in Philadelphia undergoing training to learn how to use the machines and make the company’s famous products.

Soft Pretzel, Soft Opening

Signs for the business, located at 150 Mountain Ave. in Hackettstown, popped up in the summer of 2012. Patch originally reported the store would be open to the public in the fall of that same year.

Stalls in construction led to a later opening than Boos had expected, but the anticipation became too much for some onlookers.

“We had the doors closed and were training staff members,” Boos said. “And the next thing you know, people are walking in and trying to place orders.”

So Boos sped up the pre-launch period and held a soft opening Feb. 8.

In the two weeks since opening, Boos has worked non-stop, but he’s enjoyed every minute of it.

“The community response has been great, and everyone is really making us feel welcomed,” he said. “Working long hours has been a great opportunity to meet customers and introduce them to the product line.”

Boos said the Hackettstown Business Improvement District has played an instrumental part in helping the new shop grow.

The franchise’s grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, March 2. To find out more about the company, go here.