SETTING UP SHOP: ‘Nancy’s Canned Creations’ to open brick-and-mortar store

Nancy Woody of Nancy’s Canned Creations spends most mornings in her new commercial kitchen overlooking First Avenue in downtown Newton. She fills jars with her signature jams, jellies and fruit spreads as passersby peer into her tinted windows that bear the logo many have come to know from farmers markets.

Above that logo is a sign. “Nancy’s General Store,” it says. Within the next month or so, Woody will open the new store’s doors for customers to buy her canned creations and other homemade goods by herself and other vendors. She expects her shop will be ready for its grand opening by mid- or late August.

“Jams, jellies, tie-dye clothes, baked goods, tea towels, pillow cases, produce, jewelry — just stuff that you would find in a regular general store back in the day,” Woody said. “Just a mishmash of stuff. Everything will be homemade or hand-crafted. Any baked goods will come from a licensed kitchen.”

Some vendors — like Clearly Yummy and Steinberger Garden Oasis — should be familiar to farmers market regulars. Woody has routinely sold at farmers markets and craft shows all across the state, but she had always wanted to have her own store and her own commercial kitchen.

By making her jams and jellies in a commercial kitchen, Woody can become a wholesaler and then market her creations to grocery stores. Much like her “small batches like grandma made” mantra, Woody intends to keep the business small, too. But that doesn’t mean she’ll be short on variety.

At farmers markets, Woody is known for her wide array of flavors.

“If you can’t find something that piques your interest, I don’t know what to do,” Woody said with a laugh. “The only thing really that grows around here that I don’t make is mulberry. I just haven’t found a good recipe for it yet. Yet! I’ll make it eventually now that I have more time to do it.”

Nancy’s General Store is occupying space once held by the Keller Law Firm and the Wes Breckenridge re-election campaign office. Woody is excited to have a consistent, centralized location for customers to buy her jams and jellies. Her regulars won’t necessarily have to chase her down at farmers markets, she said.

“Now you can come in any time — when we get open,” she said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com