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Timothy Trimmer used to make motorcycles.
Now he's making pies.
The laid-off Harley-Davidson worker recently purchased The Pie Shop, a York City bakery in the heart of Central Market.
"I always enjoyed making desserts and dreamed of being my own boss. This seemed like the perfect time to give it a try," he said.
Trimmer, a former assembly line worker, was laid off last August by Harley-Davidson and had struggled since then to find the right fit.
"It was a very emotional time," he said. "I thought I had a career nailed down with Harley. I wanted to retire there. It was very hard to find a plan B and a job that paid in the same field Harley paid."
Skills gleaned from his Harley experience have proved useful in the food industry, he said.
"At Harley, I was building a quality product. (At the Pie Shop), I'm making a product that appeals to customers," he said.
Trimmer purchased the name of the shop, recipes, training from previous owner Will Lenhart and the contents of the Central Market stand.
So far, sales have been fantastic, he said, as he's invited many of his former Harley colleagues to try his new treats.
"I'm excitedly nervous and nervously excited," he said. "Business has been going very well."
He got the idea to buy the business when he read in a newspaper ad it was for sale.
"I was at my mother's apartment, looking at the ad, and said, 'I'm going to buy that,'" he said.
Lenhart listed the business on Craigslist in late July, asking $15,000 for the shop he said generated $35,000 in annual sales.
Trimmer was chosen among 15 interested parties, closely fitting Lenhart's description of the ideal new owner.
"I'm hoping to find a buyer who has the same passion for baking and passion for pie that I do," Lenhart said last month.
He sold the business to pursue California dreams, moving to West Hollywood this fall to advance his career, he said.
Lenhart plans to open an upscale, boutique pie shop there, he said.
Until then, he's helping Trimmer to ensure a smooth transition, the new owner said.
Trimmer, who worked in Central Market as a teen, continues to bake the shop's savory pies - beef, chicken and vegetable curry - which range in price from $20 to $25 for a 9-inch pie.
The shop is also selling sweet potato, lemon meringue, apple, peach, shoofly, pumpkin, coconut cream, chocolate peanut butter and seasonal fruit pies for $10 to $13 for a 9-inch pie.
Trimmer said most of the ingredients for the pies are purchased from other Central Market vendors.
"It's very important to me to buy local and support other vendors here who are trying to make a business for themselves," he said.
The Pie Shop is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during Central Market hours.
For more information, call the bakery at 318-4993.
- Candy Woodall can also be reached at cwoodall@yorkdispatch.com.
