PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — An iconic candy shop in Redington Shores is reopening today after back-to-back hurricanes devastated the area.
The staff at The Candy Kitchen, which first opened its doors in 1950, announced that their rebuild had been completed. The shop sells all kinds of nostalgic goodies, including homemade ice cream, fudge and Italian ice.
"Thank you everyone for your kind words, texts, emails, your generosity and support while we got through the destruction caused by Helene," the Facebook post read. "I don’t know if we could have gotten through this without the support of so many of you! Just stopping in during the past 2 months to check on our progress has meant the world to us."
Bob and Pam Hoffman bought The Candy Kitchen in May. Its original location, which made a splash all those years ago, was in Madeira Beach.
"We had the interior of our store covered with signatures because all of the walls were signed by people from the last 20 years," Bob said back in October. "They come in, and they get a Sharpie. They’d come back on vacations and see where they signed. That’s all gone now because it was a total loss."
The couple said a storm surge from Helene in September brought nearly 7 feet of water into the building, destroying their equipment and products—including that homemade ice cream.
But now, they're ready to make a comeback. According to its Facebook, the shop will open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and remain open until 8 p.m. or later, "if need be."
"Please come by and say hello, sign our freshly painted walls, check out our new layout of the store, new murals," the Facebook post continued. "We can’t wait to start making new memories with residents and visitors at the store in this beautiful beachfront community."
The widow of a Pinellas Park firefighter turned to Susan Solves It after she was cut off from the savings her husband left behind for her.
