Candy Shop To Bring Sweet Treats To San Marcos

By, Louis Zylka

 

Leanne Latham, owner of the store, said visiting candy shops was her favorite thing to do as a child.

 

“It was always something I thought I could expand on,” Latham said.

 

Latham said she could not think of a better town to start her own business in.

 

“I really love San Marcos,” Latham said. “Anything that I want to do as far as going into business for myself would be here.”

 

Andrew Caldwell, San Marcos resident, said most members of the community want to see businesses like Latham’s thrive.

 

“I personally think the more businesses that pop up down here, the better,” Caldwell said. “And I think it’ll end up becoming a popular place because of the candy.”

 

Latham said having a shop in close proximity to Texas State was something she always hoped to do. She said much of the merchandise in the store will be catered towards adults.

 

“I love the college and the college kids being in San Marcos,” Latham said. “It keeps the town young and evolving.”

 

Alta Jafari, friend of the owner, said Latham has wanted make her dream of opening a candy shop a reality for quite some time. She said Latham decided to open the store in San Marcos after noticing a lack of candy shops around town.

 

“I am very excited for her to open up the store,” Latham said. “She is 100 percent committed to this and has had a blast with it.”

 

Latham said bringing the store to life was a big undertaking.

 

“I actually had been working on this since February,” Latham said. “I found my lease in March and I have been renovating since then.”

 

Caldwell said the shop will be valuable to members of the San Marcos community who have limited options when it comes to satisfying their sweet tooth.

 

“I don’t want candy, I need candy,” Caldwell said. “I am a gummy fan and if I want to see anything in the shop it is gummy sharks.”

 

Latham said her inventory will be made up of more than just candy. She plans to sell pies from Texas Pie Company in Kyle, novelty ice creams and bottled soda. The store will also carry old-school lunchboxes and toys such as bouncy balls, silly straws and funny gags, Latham said.

 

“The majority of candy that I want to have is retro or nostalgic types,” Latham said. “I want to have the odd kind of candies that you wouldn’t normally see anywhere else.”

 

Jafair said the shop’s year-round appeal will help other local businesses prosper.

 

“Every single month there is something going on that revolves around some sort of party or event,” Jafair said. “Having something special to go with it that you can get from a store like this will really benefit the community.”

 

Latham said she hopes the store’s ability to provide great service and candy shoppers wouldn’t normally see will quickly create a solid customer base.

 

“I want the store to be a place where people can come in and feel like a kid again and kind of let go of the stress from the day,” Latham said. “Everyone should feel like a kid at a candy store.”

 

Latham said she hopes to create a website for the shop in the future.

 

“Something I am definitely going to look into is selling online,” Latham said. “Hopefully I can expand to where I do party favors and gift baskets and more of those type of things.”