By Jef Rietsma
Windfall, a coffee house that fell victim to COVID in 2020, is returning in 2024 to downtown Vicksburg.
Owners Paula Hochstetler and her daughter, Rita Sertic, also own Apple Knockers and have substantial plans for that business, too.
The two shared details of Windfall’s expected return and elaborated on the many changes in store for Apple Knockers before it opens in the spring.
“Ideas, how to improve, what we can do better, what we can do differently, those are thoughts that constantly go through our heads,” Setric said. “Brainstorming is always going on.”
Windfall opened in 2017 and was just picking up momentum when the world came to a standstill in March 2020. It closed in January 2022. Setric and Hochstetler said they always knew Windfall would re-open, but when and where were perpetual moving targets.
Finally, they settled on a location just a few feet away from Apple Knockers. It’s currently a two-car garage, an adjacent building that will be converted and expanded to 799 square feet just northwest of the ice cream shop.
Everything that was a part of Windfall is in storage, so the interior might look familiar despite the smaller location. Meanwhile, Hochstetler said, the kitchen area in Apple Knockers is being expanded over the winter.
“Before, our kitchen was at Windfall and it supplied bakery items, grilled breakfast sandwiches, pies, scones, pasties and other items to Apple Knockers. Now Apple Knockers will supply Windfall,” she said. “All the food preparation will be done here in our newly expanded kitchen, then walked across the parking lot to Windfall. It makes a lot of sense because we do sell a lot of food.”
With an expanded kitchen – 260 square feet will be added to the south end of Apple Knockers – the redeveloped business will have enough space for storage of dry goods, as well as more room for refrigerated and frozen items. It will also accommodate the addition of a stove.
In addition, there will be more space for food preparation, Hochstetler said. The additional space will be especially helpful when she makes pasties, a popular item in its own right, she noted.
Hochstetler estimated about a third of Apple Knockers’ sales is food, while the balance is ice cream. Food sales tend to pick up later in the season.
Both ladies gave a deadpan response when asked about their timeframe.
“Last year,” they stated, simultaneously.
Hochstetler said site plans for Apple Knockers kitchen addition have been approved. Meanwhile, the village is in the midst of reviewing site plans for Windfall. They plan to open Windfall in January; Apple Knockers is set to open for the season in late April.
Hochstetler, 70, and Sertic, 44, have owned Apple Knockers since 2009. The original Apple Knockers – further east on Prairie Street – relocated to its current site in 2019.
Hochstetler said Apple Knockers’ move to 222 W. Prairie St., was a no-brainer, as it affords the luxury of more space, outdoor seating and other benefits.
She said 2023 was Apple Knockers’ best year ever in terms of sales volume. It employs about two dozen people during the summer.
“We are really excited about both businesses, but we’ve had countless people tell us they miss Windfall and they’re ecstatic to hear our plans to re-open it,” Hochstetler said.
