street festivals and, before long, the line to get into the store was
spilling out onto the street.
“That first day was a bit overwhelming. The door
didn’t close the entire day. Thank goodness we had
practiced scooping ice cream the week before,” she
says with a laugh. “We had an absolute ball.”
McFeely, a North Huntingdon native and 1975
Norwin High School graduate, knew she wanted to
open her storefront in Irwin: “I know the people, and
I’m comfortable,” she explains. “I wanted to be a part of
the business community.”
After that hectic first day, McFeely soon settled into
a routine. As word of mouth spread, her business
began to thrive, and it wasn’t long before she
decided to add a second location. After
a brief stay at Banco Business Park,
she opened her second store at
100 S. Pennsylvania Avenue in
Greensburg on Dec. 1, 2017.
That store gives her enough
space to host chocolate
parties for children, teens
and adults, as well as work
with community groups
like the Scouts for chocolate
making workshops.
McFeely’s also operates an
ice cream trailer—a “store on
wheels,” she calls it—that staff
can use for weddings, parties
and corporate and community
events. In July of 2017, a novelty ice cream truck was added,
complete with the unmistakable ice cream truck jingle, to zigzag
through local neighborhoods.
McFeely’s is a true family business—her daughters and sister
help make chocolate and run the two locations, and her husband
Ray helps to operate the vehicles.
“I could work morning until night doing this,” says McFeely,
who has four children and nine grandchildren. “I absolutely
love it. I lay awake at night and dream about what to make next.
If you’re going to open your own business, you have to have a
passion for it, or it won’t work.”
Best sellers include the chocolate-covered bacon, sea salt
chocolate caramels and the peanut butter meltaways. She loves to
experiment with combinations like chocolate-covered jalapeños
and dark chocolate mixed with Pop Rocks.
Many of the items McFeely’s carries have a seasonal theme.
In the fall, it sells pumpkin truffles, caramel apples and “turkey
legs” made with pretzel rods, caramel and nuts; during the
holidays, McFeely crafts 3-D sleighs filled with chocolate pieces.
Hand-dipped fruits like strawberries, raspberries and tangerines
are popular all year round, as is the fudge and, of course,
the handdipped ice cream, which is supplied by Perry’s Ice
Cream. She welcomes special orders and can make customized
chocolates for weddings, birthdays, graduations, corporate events
and more.
McFeely says she is thankful to be a part of her local business
community, and makes it a point to participate in nonprofit
fundraisers and school events, always donating a portion of sales
back to the organization.
“Yes, it’s true that we give to our community, but we get back
10 times what we give,” she says. “I love to see our community
grow, and we’re happy to be a part of that.” ■
» MCFEELY’S GOURMET CHOCOLATE IS OPEN YEAR-ROUND, EXCEPT FOR A FEW WEEKS IN JANUARY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 724.863.7514, OR VISIT MCFEELYSGOURMETCHOCOLATE.COM.
GREENSBURG SALEM
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WINTER 2018
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