The Candy Shoppe raised $4,000 for the Sharing Place Food Centre last weekend through its store-closing sale.
Before handing over the keys to the new owners of the iconic Highway 11 South store, retiring co-owners Dean and Rita Robinson decided to sell off all products in the store at a discounted rate, with all proceeds benefiting the Sharing Place.
“It felt really weird to not have any candy left,” Robinson said. “It brought back a lot of memories of when we started, going through the renovations, having to shut down during COVID, and the hardships of what we went through.”
She had mixed emotions during the store-closing sale, saying goodbye to the business after 23 years.
“It was very strange to dismantle the store for one day at the very end,” she said. “We are now on the other side of the cash register.”
Handing the Sharing Place a cheque for $4,000 felt rewarding to Robinson.
“It felt like mission accomplished,” she said. “We helped them out in the best way we could. It was a really good feeling.”
Robinson says customers reassured her with so much positive feedback retiring was the right thing to do.
“They said this is the right way to end this,” she said. “This was a good ending.”
During the fundraiser, the Robinsons were recruited to become volunteers with the Sharing Place by development manager Christine Arnold.
“The sale had a big impact,” Arnold said. “A lot of people were talking about it.”
She says the fundraiser was an example of an initiative that can benefit those in need leading up to the holiday season.
“It was very unique,” she said. “It was impactful because The Candy Shoppe is such an iconic place here in our community.”
The new owners of The Candy Shoppe will reopen the store next month.
