Imagine a delicious pie crust, topped by a layer of macadamia nut cookies, covered by chocolate, some macadamia nuts for good measure, then topped off with smooth whipped cream. Or, think about a pie crust topped with crumbled peanut butter cookies, then covered with a fudgy brownie with peanut butter filling, covered by peanut butter cream and more crumbled cookies. These are only two of the many pies that Tracy “The Pie Lady” Dowd makes using her grandmother’s crust recipe. Anyone who hasn’t visited her shop, Piefalootin, at 2441 Goldfinch in Garland, should get there as soon as possible.
In addition to the pie making business, Dowd and her husband own an antique tool business. They have lived in Garland’s Williams Estates neighborhood for almost 30 years.
“It’s an older neighborhood and I really like it,” she said. “There are people on our street that have been here since the neighborhood started and there has been so much support from the neighborhood for the pie shop.”
Her fondness of the area is one of the reasons she chose the 2441 Goldfinch location in the Meadowlark Estates (often referred to as the “Bird Streets”) which borders Williams Estates.
Robert Smith, owner of the property on Goldfinch, gave Dowd the idea to open her shop there.
“I’m fortunate that we met and I decided to do it,” she said. “It really is the right place.”
Dowd spent many years in the medical field before she decided to “go home and sell tools and bake pies.” She started Piefalootin in 2014 and at that time, customers placed orders and she delivered the pies. She soon began 
making pies for Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House in Dallas, which gave her access to a bigger, commercial kitchen where she could also make the pies for her home business.
She said she chose pies because that’s what she’s best at.
“I can bake other things, but I’m best at pies. There are pies that I haven’t even thought of yet so I have no interest in serving anything else,” she said. “I have fond memories of pie because my grandmother taught me to make pie crust when I was little and we always made pies at her house. If you don’t have a good crust, you don’t have a good pie. And they have to be fresh, I’d never serve pie that has been frozen.”
Dowd makes all the classics – fruit pies, chocolate cream, coconut cream, pecan, buttermilk and more, as well as many specialty pies like those described above.
Piefalootin also serves piefaits, which have gained much popularity.
“There is a scoop of pie, scoop of ice cream, then repeat, in a sundae glass,” Dowd said. “Then whipped cream, then fruit or n
uts. Whatever you like, we can put
it in there. Pie ribbons, sticks of crust baked with cinnamon and sugar, top it off.”
Dowd said that you can’t be grumpy and eat pie.
“I wanted a happy place and that’s what I have,” she said. “I’ve been lucky to have people from the city of Garland come in and the mayor and council members. I just want people to come and try it and come back and say it’s the best pie they’ve ever had. If that happens, I’m content.”
It looks as though it’s happening. Garland’s Mayor Scott LeMay has made several Facebook comments about the pie including, “Incredible! Delicious! Forward my mail here!”
Hours of operation: Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. There is an event room that will seat 16-18 people and If Dowd knows in advance that a group is coming, she’ll reserve the room and be sure to have extra pie!