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[abculatter_2]

Unusual pies... what about low-fat or even fat-free pies? Reduced-sugar pies? Health or vegetable pies (it may sound bad, but I think it could work)? Pomegranate? Pineapple? Banana-Coconut-Strawberry cream? Throw in some mango for good measure...

EDIT: COOKIE PIE! Peanut butter pie, custard pie, maybe even mini cereal-tarts made with milk and cereal?

[Sowelu]

A lot of those would totally work (though they could be pretty expensive, like I'd guess the pomegranite one might).  The banana-coconut-strawberry-cream one sounds great.  And unusual flavors + low-fat / sugar-free ones would make you a lot of friends among the elderly.  See, sugar-free pies aren't bad exactly, but they are boring.  Spice things up a bit, and all of a sudden they'll really want your pies just because OMG it's not yet another sugar-free apple pie...  If you go that route, it's a specific audience that you'll want to go after.  Might be a good market segment, since they're already folks who might be willing to pay extra to have it delivered to their door.  Or, you know, to have a few different ones delivered to Bingo night.

[abculatter_2]

Catering toward the elderly actually might not be a bad idea, since I believe Florida has one of the highest proportions of old people in the United States. I'm not sure how many are in this general area, however.

Also, what signifies a sugar-free food item? Does that mean that there is no sugar what-so-ever, whether it be from fruit, sugar cane, or any other source? If it does mean ANY sugar from any source, then that's nearly every kind of food on the market. No-sugar-added pies, however, are quite easy to do well, as are low-fat.

I also just remembered, there's a few weekly farmer's markets within easy driving distance. Although it's probably too late in the week to be able to sell much of anything, next week I could easily mass-produce a single item (I'm thinking sticky buns), freeze them uncooked, then rent some portable ovens and cook them with a few family members at the market to sell. Yeasted breads, like sticky buns, might be a bit tricky to get right though.

[Sowelu]

Yeah, putting "no sugar added" on it would do the trick.  Experiment until you find something that tastes good.  First make them taste good, and tweak the recipe from there (ie I wouldn't suggest starting from "no sugar added" because that might be too difficult).  Pomegranites are expensive, and the pie doesn't turn out tasting good?  Well, consider that part of your startup cost.  Call it market research, and it's something you just gotta do.

Farmer's markets sound like a great idea.  Be VERY lavish with your free samples (Oh here have a quarter of a sticky bun), I'd guess is a good strategy if you're new to the market.  If you don't have much experience selling a certain thing, and you like your stuff but don't know how much customers would want them, then get opinions if you can.  Your material costs are probably pretty low, and you can always go back next week; you might catch someone who really liked your free samples this time and wants to buy a good amount.

If you want to set up there, get in contact with the organization that runs it ASAP to figure out what requirements you'll need to meet.  There's almost certainly a not-insignificant charge to set up a booth there, and some regulations you need to follow (food handlers' license).  Also, just go yourself the next time it happens, and talk with the bakery people who are already there.  Ask about their experiences, their suggestions--they might be able to point out what doesn't sell, or how they really missed the person who used to make zucchini bread but stopped--and sell something that they aren't.

Even if you don't make a huge profit, it'll be great experience.

[abculatter_2]

No-sugar-added pies are easy to make taste good, just boil the fruit in slightly-diluted fruit juice before baking.

Will-do those suggestions for the farmer's market, I'll probably be able to attend the one going on this weekend. Though I'm not quite sure how I'd talk to the bakers about those thing without being hideous blatant (unless that's a good thing, or just doesn't matter).

[Sowelu]

Oh, do be hideously blatant!  Just come right out and say "I'm looking to start up a stand here with baked goods.  I want to sell something that nobody else is doing right now, can you give me some advice?"  You might think that they'd be upset about having competition in general, but you'd be wrong... A) I've often seen like three different people selling tomatos, and B) the more different goods a farmer's market has, the more people will come to it, which means more business for everybody!  That and they're probably just plain nice people regardless.

Farmer's markets are terribly friendly places.  I mean, like any community you might run into someone who's grouchy, but they're by far the minority.

[abculatter_2]

Alright, I'm going to try to get my dad to loan me the money to make stuff for that farmer's market, but the application form requires you state what you're going to sell beforehand. So, instead of brainstorming all by my self, I want to see if you guys can come up with unique pies, tarts, or other pastries. (no puff-, danish, or other excessively hard-to-make pastries please)

Ideas I have so far:
Sticky Buns
Apple-Orange Pie
Strawberry-Banana Smoothie Pie
Winter Peach Pie (basically peach pie with pumpkin spice)
Cereal and Milk Pie (crumb or semi-crumb crust made from crushed cereal with a filling of low-fat pastry cream or just 2% milk thickened with cornstarch and cereal. Probably Honey Nut Cheerios or Frosted Flakes, though nearly any cereal will do)
Banana Custard Pie (Custard will probably be a bad idea, since it spoils easily)
Banana-Peanut Butter Pie

[Sowelu]

Sticky buns would be a good notion to me:  They sound most reliable, and easiest to make and sample to make sure they're what you want.  Plus, they're smallish, so you can move them in smaller quantities.

If you don't mind straying away from pastries, you could try a monkey-bread like thing...pull-apart kind of stuff, vaguely like a bunch of rolls still stuck together but in a more bready kind of thing.  You can frost them with cinnamon, or you can put cheese on them for a foccacia-like thing, there's not much you can't do.  And yes, I'm thinking with my stomach because that sounds really good right now.

(...I've got a potluck on Saturday.  Maybe I should try making that!)

If you know for sure that you can produce reliable pies by then, apple-orange sounds like a hit.  But the usual rule of "don't serve guests a meal you haven't prepared before" applies.  Pies sound like a big time investment that might take a few misses before you make them a hit.

[Vactor]

if you're selling pies you're going to want to have your "bread and butter" goods available, which means pecan, pumpkin, cherry, blueberry and apple etc.  Some people will be adventurous, but many are going to want what they know they like.

The Norske Nook in wisconsin is a good example of handmade pies being very profitable, and they do have online orders available.  They built their brand on in-store sales though, so online orders would probably all be repeat customers.  If you make a reliably good product people might order from you online for their second or third time, but you'll have to first stand out in person.