Heaven Sent Pies come from the heart

By Thomas Clapper

CCM Reporter

A lifelong dream has become a reality for Vickie Clendenin, owner of Heaven Sent Pies at 115 Reed St., Malvern.

“This is my happy place,” said Clendenin who runs the shop with her husband, Brad. “It has always been my dream to open a business of some sort in my retirement.”

Clendenin is retired from the medical field but also has retail experience. Her husband Brad owned a bakery in East Canton years ago.

“We talked about opening a store, but we weren’t sure what kind,” said Clendenin. “We asked people around town and the majority preferred pies to cakes.”

Heaven Sent Pies opened in July and has sold approximately 1,700 pies since it opened.

“We are an outlet, not a bakery,” said Clendenin. “We have several vendors we work with to get fresh pies. We get fresh breads every week and fresh pies every couple of days.”

Aside from fresh pies, the shop offers breads, cookies and several kinds of treats. Yoder’s bring fresh bread to sell. Pies come in all varieties including apple, peach, peach praline, blackberry, blueberry, Dutch blueberry, black cherry, cherry, Dutch apple, honey crisp apple, pecan, pumpkin, red raspberry, strawberry/rhubarb, sweet potato, very berry, banana, butterscotch, chocolate, coconut, lemon, peanut butter and apple crisp. There are no added preservatives. Prices range on all products but most fruit pies are $12 and cream pies are $14.

“I love giving back, it is the biggest thing from my heart,” said Clendenin. “If I can send something heavenly to somebody from my heart, that is what I do. As a child growing up, us girls were always in the kitchen and that is where I learned to love baking.”

The Clendenin’s are always willing to lend a hand to those in need and the community. They have donated many pies for funeral dinners, community events and more.

“This is Vickie’s shop and I help her the best I can,” said Brad. “Vickie is my happiness and my world. This shop is not our main source of living, we are both retired, and we want to help the community and those in need the best we can.”

“People from all over Carroll and Stark County have come and enjoyed pies,” said Vickie Clendenin. “This has become a nice friendly place of conversation. Some people just come in and talk about various things.”

Vickie Clendenin has big plans for the future including expanding into ice cream hopefully sometime next year.

“I would like to get a bigger building or somehow add on to branch off to ice cream next year,” said Clendenin. “I think it would be great for people to come enjoy a slice of pie with ice cream.”

Customers can still place Thanksgiving orders, call in orders to 330-863-4069 no later than Nov. 17. These orders can be picked up on Nov. 22, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The shop will be closed from Thanksgiving Day through Nov. 30.

Current winter hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

“As I said this is my happy place and I hope to continue this for a long time,” said Clendenin with a smile.