Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Stuckey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

When I acquired Stuckey’s, my family’s business that had been trashed by outside corporate ownership, we were operating at a deficit. I joke that I am running an 87-year old start up because we are having to reinvent this brand in a fresh way.

One of the more challenging aspects of the business was managing our warehouse operations, as we had tens of thousands of dollars of dead inventory that hadn’t moved in years. Stuff like ash trays shaped like toilets that said, “put your butts here”, John Wayne bobbleheads, red neck fly swatters, cases of fidget spinners, and about 200 Brittney Spears t-shirts (thank God she made a comeback!) These items were sitting on shelves gathering dust and – worse – sitting on our books weighing down our balance sheet.

I consulted liquidation firms and realized we’d be losing money by selling the dead stock to them once we factored in shipping costs. Selling the junk at flea markets would have taken up valuable employee time and rental fees for booths – again, a losing proposition. Finally, in desperation, I came up with a plan to mix up the random items along with some of our candy and snack nuts to create “Mystery Boxes.” I filed a quick video on my iPhone showing all the fun and eclectic surprises one might get in a mystery box and slapped the item on our website for sale. No two boxes were the same — some more valuable than others — but all offered at the same price of $24.99.

The boxes were wildly successful. We sold almost 900 of them and raised the price to $39.99 to justify the increased labor costs of making all the boxes. We ended up taking about $10,000 in dead inventory and turning it into $40,000 in profit.

The lesson learned here is when life gives you bobble heads and fidget spinners, you make mystery boxes. — and sell them at a profit.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Stephanie Stuckey is CEO of Stuckey’s, the highway oasis that’s been serving pecan log rolls and kitschy souvenirs to road trippers since 1937. Founded by her grandfather, W.S. Stuckey, Sr. in Eastman, Georgia, Stuckey’s grew into over 350 stores nationwide by its peak in the 1970’s. The company was sold in 1964 and sadly declined for decades under a series of corporate owners. Fortunately, Stuckey’s is now in family hands again and making a comeback, with a mission to make road trips fun.

Stephanie received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. She worked as a trial lawyer, was elected to seven terms as a state representative in Georgia, ran an environmental law firm, served as Director of Sustainability for Atlanta, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. Stephanie purchased Stuckey’s in November of 2019 and assumed the role of CEO. Stephanie’s achievements include being named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. She serves on the corporate board for Bealls, a Florida-based retailer with more than 550 stores, and the nonprofit board for Society for Commercial Archeology, an organization dedicated to preserving roadside Americana.

When she’s not raising two teenage children as a single mom, running the Stuckey’s candy and pecan shelling plant in Wrens, Georgia or the distribution operations in Eastman, Georgia, Stephanie enjoys traveling by car to explore the back roads of America and pulling over at every boiled peanut stand and the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.

About Stuckey’s

Roadside oasis since 1937, Stuckey’s is best known for its sloped teal roofed stores offering pecan snacks, candies, kitschy souvenirs, and our world-famous pecan log rolls. The business fell out of family hands for decades but is now making a comeback with Stephanie Stuckey, granddaughter of the founder, at the helm. After 50 years of being out of the candy making business, the company is back in manufacturing. Along with her business partner, R.G. Lamar, Jr., Stephanie acquired a pecan shelling and candy plant in Wrens, Georgia in January of 2020, a move that restored the company to profitability for the first time in decades. Along with the distribution facility based in Eastman, Georgia, the Company generates revenue through licensing 68 retail locations in twenty states, plus an active online store offering a wide variety of pecan snacks and candies and branded Stuckey’s merchandise. Stuckey’s products can also be found in almost 3,000 stores through its retail partnerships, including Food Lion, Travel Centers of America, Casey’s, and hundreds of other corporate accounts.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It’s the Pecan Log Roll, Stupid! There’s a saying, “Dance with the one that brung ya,” which is more than good manners…it’s good business. Simply put, in life and in business, you support those who support you. You are loyal to those who made you a success. For Stuckey’s, it’s pecan log roll that brung us. In good times and bad, that uniquely sweet candy delight has made our brand a household name. Based on my grandmother Ethel’s recipe, it’s a mixture of fluffy nougat mixed with maraschino cherries dipped in caramel and rolled in pecans. And it tastes heavenly.
When I set out to revive my grandfather’s business, I ran the numbers and found that the pecan log roll was consistently the top grossing item with the highest margins. What had been with us all along – since our founding as a roadside stand in rural Georgia during the Great Depression – continues to work for us to this day.
So, we doubled down on the pecan log roll. My partner and I bought a manufacturing plant; upping our candy game with the best ingredients and freshest pecans you’ll find anywhere. Then we increased the number of retailers that sell our log rolls, from small mom & pop gift shops to national chains like Food Lion and TravelCenters of America.
The secret to our comeback with an increase of $10 million in gross sales in two years? It’s simple. It’s sticking to the basics and doing what’s worked for us all along. It’s the pecan log roll, stupid.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Choosing a business partner is as important as a life / marital partner (only harder to get out of if it doesn’t work). It’s essential to not only find someone with complimentary skills that fill your gaps but also someone with a complimentary temperament. I’m fortunate in that my business partner and I have known each other through family connections for a couple of decades, although we didn’t actually meet until a couple of years ago. We both wanted to buy the same candy plant to expand our operations and realized our offer would be stronger if we joined forces and submitted a purchase proposal together. As we continued to hash out the terms of the deal, our chances of getting an SBA loan were better if we were aligned as one company. So, what started as a very practical solution to acquire a manufacturing facility turned out to be a long-term beneficial relationship to grow our businesses aligned as one.

Contact Info:

• Website: stuckeys.com
• Instagram: @stuckeystop
• Facebook: E. Stephanie Stuckey
• Linkedin: Stephanie Stuckey
• Twitter: @stuckeystop
• Youtube: Stephanie Stuckey
• Yelp: Stuckey’s
• Other: Tik Tok: @stuckeystop

Image Credits
Eric Ellis (pic of me in coon skin cap); Mack Fraga (pecan log rolls in box and pecan banner). All other images courtesy of Stuckey’s Corp or Stephanie Stuckey