Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1020281
64 F rom the window of the Klyde Warren Park apart- ment she shares with her husband, Morgan Pieper spotted a convenience store and wondered when she'd last set foot in one. "They're unsanitary, they don't sell healthy products — some of them aren't even safe at night," says the stylish 30-year-old. Last spring, Pieper decided to change all that: She left her job as a CPA to start Feed Me Pronto, a new approach to the convenience store set to open its first location in Uptown this month. "I took every product you would find in a traditional convenience store, from the Slurpees to the soda fountain, the snacks to the alcohol, and I replaced it," she says. With the exception of tobacco and lottery tickets — which won't be carried — she has reimagined every aspect, even swapping cash registers for self-checkout kiosks. "The convenience industry is completely male dominated ," Pieper says. "As a female who wants to have children and wants to have a modern family and continue her career, I asked, 'What do I need now, and what will I need in the future?'" The result: Over the last year, Pieper has sourced nearly 600 products after attending five food shows in major regions across the U.S. "Most of the brands we carry are female-, minority-, or family-owned. They all have amazing stories behind them that I want to share," she says. One exciting product is Dallas-based Mother Beverage, a line of infused apple cider vinegar drinks that Pieper says are tasty but also "amazing for pregnant women with heartburn"; protein-packed brownies made from peas by female-owned company Rule Breaker; and healthy bacon jerky by Pederson's Natural Farms. The new-wave convenience store will also offer eco-friendly sundries, kid-approved options, and a wall of prepared meals inspired by the grab-and-go chains Pieper discovered while in London for graduate school. "People are purchasing on the go," Pieper says. "It's for the modern consumer who doesn't have time to cook, doesn't want to cook, doesn't know how to cook." AGE: 30. OCCUPATION: FOUNDER, FEED ME PRONTO. TOOLS OF THE TRADE: HIGH STANDARDS. ORGANIC KALE. DESK LUNCHES. GEN NEXT: MORGAN PIEPER BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK Morgan Pieper