When Sarah Clark launched her lifestyle brand, the Dainty Pear, she said it started with a simple hobby creating hand-stamped jewelry. As a mother and homemaker, Clark said she found herself fulfilling Christmastime orders, stamping pendants and jewelry on the floor of her kitchen with a newborn in her lap.
Since 2014, the Dainty Pear has grown from a jewelry business to a fully fledged brand that encompasses Clark’s three cookbooks and, now, her brick-and-mortar location in Midway, which officially opened Friday.
“It’s just a lot of gratitude and excitement. We’ve been trying to do this for a long time, and the fact that it’s here is super exciting,” Clark said. “It was very organic and slow … the opportunity came up, and my husband was like, ‘You’ve supported me through my businesses. It’s your turn.’ We just went all in.”
A mother of five and wife to a husband who headed two companies, Clark said that she was looking forward to the opportunity to pursue her own business. When the Clarks were presented with the chance to purchase an historic Midway location at the corner of 200 W and 100 N, she decided it was time to establish her business in Utah.
“We had a team meeting the other night and I just looked around and was like ‘Oh my gosh, all of these people are here pushing my dream forward,’ and that’s extremely humbling,” Clark said.
Clark said that while the Dainty Pear started with jewelry, it soon transformed into a lifestyle and food-oriented project. She started writing on her blog and then posting cooking reels on Instagram and YouTube. One upcoming YouTube series, “Take me to Midway,” will cover the history of her hometown.
For her physical store, Clark said she wanted it to be more than a place to “buy more things.” Instead, she’s aiming for a one-stop shop where customers can get inspiration from her cookbooks: “Grounded: Feel-good, real food” and “Grounded: Holidays.” Ingredients for her recipes can be found in the Dainty Pear’s gourmet grocery, along with tools from her kitchen line.
Honey, peach and thyme cheesecake, crispy Brussels sprouts, dainty sugared pears, holiday spiced hot chocolate, sugared cranberries — Clark’s recipes posted on her Instagram and in her cookbooks gives a homey, Martha Stewart-esque feel. She said that’s because of the name, the Dainty Pear. When she started making jewelry, she named her business after her daughter, Paris (nicknamed Pear) and added “dainty” for a nod to the style of her jewelry.
“I loved the connection of it with other people,” Clark said. “I loved making something that they were excited about.”
The name stuck, and now she tries to give that same sweet, feminine sense to everything from her storefront to her cookbook recipes. She said that even the name of her cookbooks, “Grounded,” pays homage to her desire to honor her roots. To her, that includes her family, her religion and the town of Midway.
“We’ve been in the Heber Valley for 14 years … I just remember really liking the concept of feeling rooted in food, but it felt like more than that,” Clark said. “You’re kind of connecting to each other when you’re sitting at the table, but you’re also connecting to your roots and where you came from and then where the food came from.”
The added sentimental feel at the Dainty Pear store, Clark said, comes from nostalgic candy — some Swedish to pay homage to Midway’s historic roots — grab-and-go bouquets, gifts, and the Dainty Pear’s own line of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Clark said that food creates a sense of connection for her, and the location in Midway solidifies her roots in the small town with a strong Swiss heritage.
“I’m part Italian, part Mexican, so food is really in my blood,” Clark said. “But one of our ‘whys’ is the community and being able to have them come in and bring back a sense of the ‘good old days.’”
Clark designed The Dainty Pear with arched doorways, raised ceilings and brick features, but the design also includes details like a vintage chandelier and a gallery wall full of European art. Clark said they acquired their location from the Zenger family, who have been based in Midway for decades.
“We’ve had you in mind as we built this knowing that you’ll be able to come in and see what’s been happening behind the scenes,” Clark said in an Instagram reel.
She has no plans to slow down. After managing to have five kids in five years while publishing two cookbooks and establishing a Midway storefront, Clark said she plans to create a tasting room in the Dainty Pear store. She said visitors will be able to have a sit-down experience with a small tasting menu filled with food found in the Dainty Pear’s gourmet grocery, including hot chocolate and pastries.
Clark said she’s particularly proud of the design of the tasting room, which features original wood from the historic Fort Midway building.
“We did everything we could to just build a shell around it,” Clark said. “So when you walk in, it’s like this whole experience of having a mix of the old with the new.”
The tasting room will open this summer, and Clark said her third cookbook — titled “Grounded: Salads, smoothies, and other fresh fare” — will be released ahead of that opening.
The Dainty Pear’s grand opening was held Friday with a ribbon cutting on Saturday. From then on, the store is open every day apart from Sunday.