Carol Monahan said she and husband John thought they were going to have a peanut store with a little deli on the side, but the way things are going, it’s the other way around – the Deli has been open for about six months and Carol said they’ve been thrilled with the response from the community and beyond.

The Monahans opened The Peanut Roaster on Zeb Robinson Road in 1995 and for years sold gourmet nut products – including those famous super, extra-large peanuts – at the store in Henderson and online.

After a brief stint in “retirement,” the Monahans are back in their Zeb Robinson Road location, creating those tins of delicious nuts again. But this go-round, customers can order specialty sandwiches, soups and breakfast items from the deli.

The building was significantly damaged in a fire several years ago, and Carol said it was their son, Josh, who spurred them back into business.

“We need to be in the peanut business again,” she remembered him saying to his parents soon after the fire.

And, so, after a couple of years of reconstruction and remodeling, the store – almost called “Phoenix” because it rose from the proverbial ashes – is known as The Carolina Peanut Factory.

After the Monahans retired from The Peanut Roaster business, they pivoted to help son Josh with his own business, the Carolina Kettle potato chip brand.

The Carolina Peanut Factory is a “comeback” of sorts for Carol and John. “We started helping our son with the potato chips – he was our boss,” Carol said.

After the fire, they began to think about reimagining the space. They wanted a spot where they could showcase those crunchy, delicious peanuts but they also wanted a spot where folks could sit for a while, bring the whole family and enjoy an array of specialty, handcrafted sandwiches.

“We wanted it to be an experience,” she said. “That’s really what we were looking for.”

Stop by the store and check out special treats especially for Valentine’s Day – that’s this Friday, for you procrastinators – there are big, heart-shaped decorated cookies and chocolate-dipped strawberries (pre-sold only) alongside those tins of gourmet nuts.

Right now, the store is observing winter hours of operation 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit ncpeanutfactory.com to see the deli menu, sandwich selections and more.

What you won’t find on the menu is fries.

“We have the best potato chips around,” Carol said. Josh’s Carolina Kettle chips. Choose from 11 flavors.

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