SARAH, LEFT, PAUL AND JOAN FRASER operate the Bath Sweet Shoppe on Centre Street. “We offer a full complement of chocolate confections, including truffles, turtles, toffees, creams, caramels and fudge,” said Joan. “They come gift boxed or you may handpick your favorites.”
There is a whole lot of sweetness on display at the Bath Sweet Shoppe.
Upon entering the Centre Street store, one is readily greeted with a cheerful “hello” from one or more of the three owners — Paul, Joan or Sarah Fraser — and the friendly atmosphere obtained during the visit seems to follow you right out the door … with sweets in hand and a smile on
Q. First of all, give us a brief history of the Bath Sweet Shoppe. When did it all begin? Why did you decide to open a candy store? Etc.
In 2000, when Sarah, our youngest of five children, graduated, we assessed our lives. We yearned to simplify it. We chose to trade our business suits, high heels, traffic jams and active community involvement with a move from Derry, N.H., to a big old house in Bath. Maine was Paul’s boyhood home and we had a seasonal lot on Popham Beach. Year-round residency here felt comfortable.
In 2004, we traded the “empty nest” for a candy shop. Disenchanted with our careers, we investigated the possibility of running a party planning and supplies business. Our experience with a large family, small businesses and community fundraising made this a natural choice.
Ernie Back’s store on Centre Street (in Bath) was vacant and we inquired about leasing options. Soon, we received a call from Jane Morse of Sagadahoc Realty. She told us that a party business would work well with a candy shop and Bath “needed” one.
We took a week to check out suppliers and the viability of the “sweets” business. The clincher to the decision was when I told Paul, “If we own a candy store, we’ll be the favorite grandparents!”
We took a leap of faith, $10,000 which was earmarked for a kitchen renovation and told Jane, “Yes, we’ll try it.” We opened three weeks later on Nov. 11, 2004.
Q. Please list for us some of the types of candy you make available to customers. your face.
“We’re still having fun running our business despite the long hours,” said Joan. “It’s a happy place where customers always leave with a smile.”
The Times Record recently conducted a question-and-answer interview with Joan, Paul and Sarah to learn about, among other things, the seemingly endless kinds of candy they offer, the long hours it takes to run a successful small retail business, and what happens at grandma and grandpa’s “Camp Candy.”
What are your top sellers?
A. We offer a full complement of chocolate confections, including truffles, turtles, toffees, creams, caramels and fudge. They come gift boxed or you may handpick your favorites.
There is also “panned” chocolates, such as malted milk balls, cordials and chocolate covered nuts and berries. Our complete selection of nostalgic candy will revive your sweetest childhood memories. The shop is stocked full of gummies in every shape and flavor, along with bubble gum, lollipops (all sizes) and novelty candy.
We have Maine-theme chocolate available for every budget. You will not find a better selection of licorice anywhere in Maine.
Our top sellers are our handmade turtles, one pound solid chocolate lobster dinner, sea salt caramels, Needhams and licorice.
Q. Where does your candy come from? I understand you make a large percentage of your own sweets? Describe some of your creations.
A. We purchase from local confectioners whenever possible. Some of our case good chocolates come from Haven’s and Wilbur’s — two respected Maine candy makers. Our saltwater taffy is from Downeast Candies in Boothbay. Our novelty candy and others are from a reputable New England distributor. We have some good sources for our imported licorice and chocolates.
One third of what we sell is made right here in our Bath shop. Anything which is dipped — such as pretzels, potato chips, fruit, marshmallow, etc. — is made here.
Of course, anything dipped in chocolate is good.
If it’s molded chocolate, we make them — from chocolate lobsters to bacon chocolate bars to Easter bunnies. We produce our own caramels (wrapped or chocolate sea salt), turtles, and nut barks. We also make our own hard candy pops and sea glass.
Q. Do you take customized orders?
A. Custom candy is our specialty.
Whether it’s for weddings, business functions, birthdays, baby showers or any occasion — just tell us your ideas and give us your budget and we’ll manage to come up with a creative sweet.
We have thousands of chocolate molds in stock or can have a custom mold made. Often, we use stock items and create a custom label. We design gift baskets for condolence, customer appreciation or any special occasion. We even deliver them.
If you want sweets and something unique, Bath Sweet Shoppe can do it.
Q. Besides offering various kinds of candy, what other products do you provide?
A. The ever popular Mainemade Whoopie pies, jams, honey and maple syrup are stock items. By request, we stock premium Dutch cocoa powder and chocolate for baking.
We also have candy making supplies for the do-it-yourselfers, that include such items as candy molds, pop sticks and wrappers.
Seasonally, from July until December, we bake deep-dish Maine blueberry, strawberryrhubarb and apple pies. Offseason, pies may be preordered.
Q. Talk about doing business in Bath. Is it a plus to have such an engaging downtown?
A. There is no better place to live and work than Bath. It is a dynamic, year-round business community.
The Main Street Bath program is exceptional. Every successful business in Bath feels this pride and synergy. We are all diplomats in promoting our downtown.
Once one discovers Bath — its history, charm and full complement of shops and activities — they come back. It’s worth the trip.
We know that Bath Sweet Shoppe draws people off the highway to experience our little city and we are proud to be part of such a magical, thriving community.
Q. Has the slow economic activity hurt sales? Or do people still need to satisfy their candy cravings, no matter what?
A. It is a fact which has proven true — candy is recession proof. Our sales have increased every year.
We adjusted our business habits to prepare for the economic instability and the loss of 500-plus families with the Brunswick Naval Air Station closure. We worked harder and more efficiently to cover the increased costs of fuel, fees and regulations. We are frugal “old New Englanders” who know how to adapt in tough times.
Candy has and always will be in demand. It is an affordable luxury.
Q. Like most small, family owned businesses, the three of you work tons of hours. How important is it to find and arrange time away from the store?
A. The biggest dilemma in running a small retail family store is finding time for personal, medical and relaxation reasons. We refer to our shop as a “needy child” which needs constant care and attention. None of us quite remembers what a week’s vacation or even a two-day weekend is. Any time we’ve had off in the past seven years was to tend to family and health issues.
We’ve had our fair share of personal hardships, yet we had to open our shop with a smile on our face. When you run your own business, there are no sick or personal days.
There were two very difficult times when we closed the store. One, when my eldest sister, Jean, succumbed to cancer in January 2009 and we closed for a week to travel to Beaufort, S.C., to care for her in her final days. The really tough time was in April 2010 when we suffered the tragic loss of our beloved 17- year-old grandson, Matthew, in a car accident.
We all wanted to curl up in a ball and lick our wounds from grief. We simply placed a copy of the obituary on the door while we closed to attend the funeral.
Stoically, we worked through our grief while running of the shop with overwhelming support and comfort from the community.
From these experiences, we’ve learned the need to carve out time for family. In the slow times, each of us tries to get a day off. One day off to us is like a week’s vacation. Time is our most precious asset.
We also realize that it is imperative that we reach our goal to grow substantially to afford the hiring of employees to work the shop when we cannot.
Q. Do you have a sweet tooth, or are you able to fight off the temptations to sample your delightful treats? If you do indulge, what are your favorites?
A. Paul is the chocolate lover in the family. He’s often seen snatching a dark chocolate buttercream. Sarah’s favorite are the truffles. My preferences are the sour gummies or honey sesame crunch.
Q. You have expanded your operations on the second floor of your building. Explain your reasons for doing that, and are there any other future plans for your store?
A. We’re at the point in our business where we need to grow. We need to hire employees to do so. We need space for employees to work.
The second floor of our building became available so we acquired it, even though we had some trepidations in this unstable economy. This falls in line with our future plans to increase our wholesale accounts.
Currently, we have 25 businesses which include Maine museums and gift shops that we supply to. All of these evolved from requests of our in-store products. If we did the slightest bit of marketing, we could quadruple that number and custom brand our specialty sweets.
Also, in our long-term plan, we would like to open or franchise sweet shops in other towns and cities. Every successful community has a candy shop and we believe we have the “know-how” to make it happen.
Q. What have you learned in running a business for seven years? Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting over again?
A. Hindsight is 20/20. We knew little to nothing about the candy business when we opened. Perhaps if we had taken time to work and learn the trade, our growth would have been on a faster track.
Also, we realize that we were a bit underfunded. For the first few years, all profits went to supporting the cost of inventory and equipment.
In retrospect, we’ve learned from mistakes and have become more efficient with budget limits. We’re in a “buy as you grow” mode.
Q. Do you have any entertaining stories dealing with customers that you would like to share?
A. We have hundreds of heart-warming stories of happenings in our sweet shop. That’s our greatest reward for our efforts.
Once, we had a request from a New York publisher for two very large hearts with the inscription “Lisey’s Story.” I said, “Oh, by Stephen King.” Their reply was, “It is for Stephen King and can you deliver it to Bangor?”
Then there is the local spry old gent with the metal Sugar Daddy lunch box. It is prominently displayed behind our counter. He stocks it full of custom-labeled candy bars with his picture and generously doles them out. It gives him and the recipients great joy.
Q. Tell us about your grandchildren and “Camp Candy.”
A. Being the favorite grandparents when you own a candy shop isn’t as easy as you think. We have nine grandchildren, ranging in age from 4 to 25. They are all precious to us.
We have learned to carve time out from the candy shop to spend time with them. The daily duties of the shop are labor intense and many hands make light the work. If the kids want to go to the beach, shopping or on an adventure with us, they help with packaging candy and pending shop orders. We call it “Camp Candy.”
Actually they don’t mind. They are very much a part of our business.
The granddaughters enjoy creating the window displays. The teenage kids have learned to work the shop and cash register on busy weekends when they visit. One grandson is our “IT” guy and handles all the technical and computer issues. They give us recommendations for candy orders.
They are getting firsthand experience of running a small business. It has been a lesson in marketing skills and work ethics. We believe we have earned their respect by setting an example.
Q. Please provide your contact information, such as street address, telephone number, email address and your website. What are your business hours?
A. Bath Sweet Shoppe
19 Centre St.
Bath, ME 04530
Telephone: (207) 443-4221
Website: www.bathsweetshoppe.com
Owners: Paul, Joan and Sarah Fraser
Email: jfraser9@myfairpoint.net
Store hours: Monday through Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 4 p.m.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A. We’re still having fun running our business despite the long hours. It’s a happy place where customers always leave with a smile. We are never ever bored or lonely.
The three of us get a lot of family time in. As Sarah says with a hint of sarcasm, “I’m the luckiest person. Some people only see their parents once or twice a year, and I get to see mine every single day!”
Sweet details
¦ BATH SWEET SHOPPE 19 Centre St. Bath, ME 04530 Telephone: (207) 443-4221 Website: www.bathsweetshoppe.com Owners: Paul, Joan and Sarah Fraser Email: jfraser9@myfairpoint.net
¦ STORE HOURS: Monday through Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday: Noon to 4 p.m.
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