Getting Stuckey’s UnStuck: Road to revival for iconic brand | Guest column
In her new book, Stephanie Stuckey shares the fascinating story of buying back -- and reviving -- her beloved family company, Stuckey's.
Note from Rolando: For years now, I have been watching admiringly as Stephanie Stuckey has infused new life into her iconic family brand, Stuckey’s. What had been a roadside oasis of the 20th century, a cherished stop on countless family road trips, had almost disappeared by the time she took control in 2019 of the company her grandfather founded as a pecan stand in Eastman, Georgia, in 1937.
Stephanie has published a must-read book about the remarkable road back for Stuckey’s, “Unstuck: Rebirth of an American Icon,” which should be on the bookshelves (or Kindle) of every person who cares about preserving and celebrating our roadside heritage.
Stephanie has become a friend, a fellow road warrior who often hits the highway in search of the thrilling inspiration that only roadside Americana can provide. I asked Stephanie to share her thoughts about the comeback of Stuckey’s — and her love of the open road — with readers of The Retrologist.
I hope you enjoy this special guest column.
Five years ago, I found myself with the unexpected opportunity to revive the company my grandfather founded. For generations of road-tripping Americans, Stuckey’s was a roadside oasis, beckoning motorists to pull over with its promise of 99-cent breakfast specials, kitschy souvenirs, and pecan log rolls. After decades of outside ownership and mismanagement, the company had sadly declined. What remained were a dozen stores that had mostly seen better days.
How many iconic sights that once graced America’s highways are still standing? Howard Johnson’s restaurants are gone, along with the Holiday Inn Great Signs and so many of those Big Boy statues. Only one original Taco Bell sign and a handful of McDonald’s single-arch signs survive - lonely reminders of when fast-food signage was art and neon reigned supreme.
This stuff is in my DNA. Fellow road warriors get it. We’ll travel 40 miles off our route to find a Muffler Man or visit an original train car diner.
It’s that same spirit of adventure and love for nostalgia that led me to buy Stuckey’s in 2019, determined to bring back a classic American brand.
I’ll be honest. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been really hard. Comebacks aren’t like what we see in the movies where a pivotal moment puts the hero (or heroine) back on top again. It’s like a road trip: you take it one mile at a time. And you enjoy the journey, pulling over at one of the few Kmarts still around, and realizing that there are lessons to be learned at every stop.
UnStuck chronicles how we’re reviving Stuckey’s as a pecan snack and candy company. We’ve gone from selling our products from a few hundred to now a few thousand stores, expanding from the licensed Stuckey’s locations to national chains and mom-and-pop stores across the country.
I share the story of how my grandfather built the company from a pecan stand on the side of the road during the Great Depression to become America’s first roadside retail chain. I joke that before there was Wawa, Love’s, or Buc-ee’s, there was Stuckey’s, and it’s true.
We were the pioneering chain on the highway offering weary travelers a respite from the monotony of the road with rubber alligators, pecan shakes, and talking myna birds. While we’re reimagining the brand in a new way, this spirit of adventure and making people feel special, remains at the core of everything we do.
Hopefully, someday, we’ll be able to revive the stores as well. I look forward to our journey continuing and invite you to read the book to learn more.
Hop in and join me for the ride!
 | A guest post by
|
When I was a kid, every summer we drove from Florida to NH and we would always stop at Stuckey’s to get pecan log rolls to take to my grandmother.
Stephanie Stuckey has a great feed to follow on Facebook.