Are you asking a small fortune for the business?

"Nope - under a million - actually under a half million. (Much laughter) First, let me tell you how much I value my privacy; however,  I will gladly offer up a ballpark figure to the buyer who is genuinely interested in pursuing HER entrepreneurial dream. Yep, the last time I checked it was still a free country; I would prefer selling to a woman, unless, of course, God has another plan. 

Anyway, after struggling with typical business formulations for calculating the value of the Glenwood, I decided to establish the selling price using common sense! So here goes . . . if you do not have a golden egg-laying goose in your backyard, you will need to borrow the money to purchase Glenwood. You must be in a position to forego a salary for the generally accepted five-year business startup. After that initial investment, you will be well on your way to entrepreneurial success. If you do own the only golden egg-laying goose on the planet, you can begin earning salary the day I leave. All kidding aside, I have done the hard startup work, taken the punches, and fine-tuned this operation so that it cannot fail, unless our country finds itself in another great depression.�

What attributes must a prospective buyer have?

The young woman I have in my mind's eye would be 30ish with school-aged children. Even though I raised my boys in this business, I will have to admit it was exceedingly difficult - sometimes even painful, especially when they were sick. I have since built an apartment at the back end of the store which will make it easy for the next business owner, especially if she is a mom.

I can't teach what I call basic kitchen sense. This woman will have to have a love of kitchen and know her way around a 50 lb. flour sack. I grew up in my grandmother's kitchen. I still remember the yellow pyrex bowl she used to make her famous dumplings in. First, the flour and then the egg yolks, dropped in one at a time and gently stirred into the flour well. Then came a slow drizzle of chicken stock, the floured counter, and the rolling pin.  The dough was rolled out, cut in strips, and dropped one at a time into the boiling, seasoned chicken stock. Yum. I loved my grandmamma, her food and her kitchen.   

I can teach jewelry design, cash flow, inventory control, daily operation techniques, yadayada; but I can't teach a love of all things kitchen. You have to love it to do it daily. There are periods of time when the owner will need to be present in the kitchen to insure that food is being handled safely, to watch inventory, to prep, and to get the cook through an exceptionally busy day.�

What is a normal workday like for you?