WRAP SPEED AHEAD! A chicken bacon wrap from the Wrap Factory, a new, locally-owned eatery in the Oakwood Mall. The shop is pulling in as many local sides as possible, from chips to desserts.

A new local business is vying for attention among the big-name fast food restaurants that populate the Oakwood Mall food court. The Wrap Factory (three guesses as to what their specialty is) occupies the booth that Auntie Anne’s claimed before moving out, and has been flourishing about as much as a new business could hope for.

Owner and general manager Jason Boehm was sitting on the couch watching the TV show Restaurant: Impossible with his wife last summer when the idea suddenly struck him to open up a wrap shop. His wife had recently switched to a gluten-free diet and Boehm’s eating habits were inevitably affected. The couple began eating brown rice wraps frequently and were struck by the quality of their taste. Eager to share his newfound love of wraps with a larger group of people, Boehm set out to make his business goal feasible. Boehm has a background in business and food management and knew immediately that his prospective business would need support from the mall in order to survive. When he inquired about any available space, he learned that Auntie Anne’s had recently vacated a small spot ideal for theWrap Factory and had left behind the countertop, three-compartment sink, and soda fountain. With the culinary gods smiling down upon him, Boehm put his business plan into motion and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Wrap Factory’s menu aims to keep things simple: Customers can create their own wraps for $5.75 or order premium ones for $6.75. Boehm wants to evoke a deli-style menu as well, with specialty meats and cheeses rotating on a weekly basis.

The restaurant also takes pride in making its signature fajita sauce in-store, and Boehm hopes that the creation of all of their sauces will eventually be an internal affair.

One of Boehm’s main goals with the Wrap Factory is to develop strong relationships with local businesses and community members. The restaurant has been working with local bands to develop themed wraps: A peanut butter-and-jelly wrap has been named in honor of the Jim Pullman Band and a premium vegetarian wrap dedicated to Letters From Earth was recently unveiled. The Wrap Factory carries bags of Half Moon Kettle Chips and sports dessert offerings from both Simply Cakes and Sue’s Bake Shop.

Boehm seems content with the amount of business his restaurant has seen thus far. The Wrap Factory already boasts a sizable regular following and has seen the benefits of offering a mall employee discount and a frequent buyer discount (buy 10 wraps, get one free). Boehm hopes that improving weather over the next couple of months will help to increase business, and he is looking to expand the menu to include breakfast wraps as well as more gluten-free items as soon as possible.

For more information about the Wrap Factory’s ever-changing menu, as well as the opportunity to score sweet insider knowledge on their daily specials, check out the restaurant at www.facebook.com/FactoryWrapThe.