BATH

Re-imagining a local favorite is never an easy feat, but that’s exactly what Karen Townsend has done with Joan and Sarah Fraser’s Bath Sweet Shoppe. This month, the mother-daughter duo pass the baton to Townsend, a Los Angeles native who has settled down in New England with her husband and embraced the state of Maine.

“My husband and I moved here just over a year ago,” said Townsend, who has a part-time corporate job but is excited to get into Bath’s retail circuit. “My family is in retail in L.A., and I had a retail store there as well before I moved east.”

Townsend wanted to do something similar in Maine, and so a friend brought her downtown to meet the Frasers, who were looking to sell Bath’s longtime favorite candy shop that opened in 2004. It didn’t take long for them to strike up a deal, but the Frasers didn’t just take the money and run.

“I came in a couple evenings a week (after the sale) and Joan and Sarah taught me about candy,” said Townsend. “They let me come in and watch them work, too. They were so generous with their time.”

After the Frasers left at the end of the summer, Townsend set to work revamping the space, painting old furniture left to her by Sarah and Joan, and mapping out the new touches that she wanted to put on the store.

“I wanted to keep it old-fashioned in a sense, pay homage to candy stores that have come before, but also keep it clean and simple,” said Townsend, who began collecting classic black and white candy store photos, bead board shelves, old-fashioned candy boxes and other candy-related trinkets. “I hope I’ve achieved the sort of vision that harkens back to the old days.”

Townsend is keeping many of the original, local vendors who provided candy to the Frasers — such as Havens Candies for her chocolate supply and another local vendor who supplies all of her gummy and licorice-related candy in bulk. But she has added a few new vendors from around the country to bring in products not native to Maine.

“I brought in a line from down south who will deliver incredible pecans and pralines that you rarely see up here,” said Townsend. “They just bought a 200-year-old pecan farm. It’s been fun to talk to these people all across the country who love and make candy. I like to keep as much local as I can, but like in every business that’s not possible.”

Townsend said that in addition to sweets she will also carry gourmet popcorn and “a really great chip line” for those who like to balance sweet with salty.

As the holiday season approaches, so does prime candy season. While Townsend agrees that this is a good time of year to take over the business, she is also looking toward the future.

“I would love to do more corporate-sector gifts and branding for people down the road,” said Townsend. “You want to have a steady business, not just through the holidays but through all seasons.”

Townsend’s official opening was last Saturday during Bath’s Autumn Fest celebration.

“What I would hope to do is retain the current customer base, and hopefully find a new base that didn’t shop here before, too,” said Townsend.

Bath Sweet Shoppe is located at 19 Centre St. in Bath, and is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

bgoodridge@timesrecord.com

Where & when

• BATH SWEET SHOPPE, with new owner Karen Townsend, is located at 19 Centre St. in Bath, and is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.