TOPSHAM

Renee Lohrey said she has always had a thing for dessert. Since she left Farmington 15 years ago for San Francisco to attend culinary arts classes, Lohrey has been honing her skills in hopes of one day opening a versatile confections shop that offers more than just chocolates. Her dream is now coming true.

“A lot of dessert places specialize in one thing, but I just can’t say no, so I do them all,” said Lohrey, who along with her husband, Jesse Lohrey, began Landry’s Confections on Lewiston Road in Topsham just over a year ago. The shop, taking its name from Renee’s maiden name, specializes in chocolates, wedding cakes, cupcakes and cookies.

What started as a to-order store that was only open for retail at certain times of the year is now becoming more prominent, and Lohrey is eyeing a full-time retail schedule this summer.

“We’re kind of testing how it goes right now, but it’s been going well,” said Lohrey, who opened for a month last summer, posting about the store on Midcoast yard sale websites to gain traction. The store’s Facebook page subsequently received 400 likes in a week, and Lohrey sold out all of the dark chocolates, salted caramels and amarettos she had saved up for the occasion.

Lohrey opened again this past December, and is currently open through early this month. She is due to have a baby in April, but will still be taking special orders as she gears up for the summer.

“Every time I look out the window, people are like ‘oh, there’s chocolate here?’” Lohrey said. “Sometimes I’ll even give people free samples.”

Though special orders for hot sellers — like chocolate boxes and wedding cakes — have been keeping the store afloat, opening the retail store full time has always been Lohrey’s goal, and she said finding the right location to chase her dream was important. So was fitting into the neighborhood.

Their place in Topsham

“This is our first time doing this, so we’ll see how Topsham takes it,” said Lohrey, who bought a house in Topsham after living in Portland for five years and carved out a section of the building for her confections shop. “Everyone who comes in is so nice. A lot of them will stay and hang out, watch the process. Some people even help me.”

Lohrey’s shop consists of a front room with a chocolate display case and gift shop, and a kitchen where all of the desserts are made. She welcomes guests into the kitchen to watch her as she works.

“When we found this place, it had such a busy road, and the two side rooms were perfect for a business,” said Lohrey. “The lady who lived here before us sold flowers out of these rooms. People come by and are curious about what’s here now. There’s something really friendly about Topsham.”

Lohrey and her husband renovated the rooms to their liking, doing all of the work themselves. They plan to do more remodeling if their business takes off.

“The dream is that I can be open all year-round, specializing in chocolates in the winter and wedding cakes in the summer,” said Lohrey. “I also love ice cream, and I have an ice cream maker, so I would love to have ice cream in the summer. We also have a little window out front that is perfect for an ice cream window, and we could put some picnic benches in the driveway for customers. There’s not a lot of ice cream places in this area. This neighborhood is filled with kids, too.”

Husband’s ideas for the future

Lohrey’s husband would like to take Landry’s Confections a step further.

“Jesse really wants us to get an espresso machine,” said Lohrey. “You can’t get a latte anywhere in Topsham. At some point we want this to be for both of us, so the ultimate dream is that he would be in charge of breakfast sandwiches, coffee and pastries and then I would run the ice cream, chocolates and cakes.”

For the time being, Jesse Lohrey does the accounting and other office work, keeps the driveway plowed and makes confections deliveries.

“I delivered a wedding cake to the top of Sunday River last summer,” said Jesse Lohrey. “Renee trusts me with that stuff. That way she can focus what she loves to do.”

Landry’s Confections is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and is located at 400 Lewiston Road in Topsham. For special orders, call (207) 766-1098 or visit the Landry’s Confections Facebook page.

bgoodridge@timesrecord.com