Milford Times is running a series in recognition of Small Business Month, featuring several businesses who have had their doors open for less than two years. The last in the series is Stewart’s Gourmet Candy and Snow Cones.
Melissa Stewart began her candy career creating freeze-dried goodies that she sold online and at a few retail locations downtown. Approached by Zack and Marissa King to open a brick-and-mortar in one of their buildings on Walnut Street, Stewart jumped at the chance.
“I had no idea how much work this would be,” Stewart said just before she opened. “But I felt like I had to do it. I wanted to create something downtown for the kids because there is just not a lot down here for them.”
The first year, sales were steady, Stewart said, but then seemed to drop off in September. The biggest issue she sees in Milford is the lack of foot traffic, especially on the southern end of Walnut Street. The other is lack of awareness of what is available downtown.
“So many people, even locals, do not know we are here,” Stewart said. “We advertise heavily on social media and Marissa has started putting some little baggies with our information on them in her AirBnBs. We have also done some vendor events to get the information out there.”
Stewart’s shop is filled with some of the candies many adults will remember as kids, including Ring Pops, Mary Jane’s, and more. She also offers a line of gourmet chocolates, including chocolate-covered gummy bears. Her main line of products, however, are the freeze-dried goodies she creates herself.
“I got the idea from TikTok and just started experimenting,” Stewart said. “We just try new things to see what happens when you freeze-dry them. The store usually carries things like oatmeal pies, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, and more, but we try to bring in unusual things too. At Easter, we had Peeps and other themed candies.”
Another item that Stewart offers is gourmet snow ones with unique flavors. Snow cones come in traditional flavors or topped or mixed with candy. The frozen treats are vibrantly colored and bursting with flavor. One of the things Stewart is most proud of is that she adheres to strict health and safety standards, meeting all Delaware Board of Health requirements.
“That is important to us because the guidelines for what we do are very strict,” Stewart said. “We are inspected regularly and pride ourselves on a store that is clean and sanitized.”
The store even has a line of candy-themed jewelry, created by a local artist. Stewart still sells items online but would love to grow the brick-and-mortar store. She constantly adds more selections and sources all items she does not make herself from reputable manufacturers.
“I think it is important, now more than ever, for people to shop local,” Stewart said. “Small businesses need the support with costs rising for us just as they are for everyone else. There is also a lot to be said for quality over quantity. We offer high-quality sweets along with some that many have forgotten. I love it when adults come in and comment how they remember as a kid eating something we sell.”
Another myth that Stewart thinks impacts people coming downtown to shop is that there is limited parking. Even she thought parking downtown was difficult until she owned the store.
“There are so many parking lots downtown within one block of the store,” Stewart said. “None of them are ever full unless there is a festival. Even the street parking is open most of the time. You may have to parallel park, but it is very rare that no spaces are open in front of the store. We need more signage downtown.”
Stewart also felt that better signage at intersections coming into town would help.
“We need some of those signs like you see in cities with arrows that point to our store, Village and Venue, the meadery, Irish Rose,” Stewart said. “Whatever we can do to bring more shoppers downtown, that is what we need to do.”
Stewart’s Gourmet Goodies and Snow Cones is located at 27 South Walnut Street, Suite 102 in Milford. They are open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12 to 5 PM and Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM. Learn more about them by visiting their website.
