Candy and soda pop
New Clinton business will cater to your sweet tooth
KELLI and PHIL EVANS
Evans Candy Company tentatively plans to open Sept. 30 at 226 N. Main St., in the space formerly occupied by Signs Unlimited, in the same building with Dogwood Carpentry, said Kelli Evans. She will be operating the store with her husband, Phil.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a a really long time,” Kelli Evans told The Courier News. “There’s not a lot that goes on here for the kids, and I thought this would be a fun place for kids to stop in and not have to spend a lot of money.
“We’re looking for the feel of the old fashioned mom-and-pop candy stores,” she said. “We will have all kinds of candy, especially a lot of the old kinds – sort of a blast from the past. We will have bottled soda pop, with all kinds of funky flavors, even a dill pickle flavor.
“We want to be a positive influence in the community.”
Operating days and hours have not been set yet, but Evans said she does want to be open on Saturdays, for sure, and is looking at being closed on Sundays and Mondays.
“We do want to have the store open in time for the Downtown Clinton Fall Antique Festival,” Evans said.
She picked up the keys to the building on Monday, and said they will be doing some remodeling – inside and outside.
“We’re going to brighten that spot up,” she said. “We’re planning to go bright red with the awnings.”
Her 2-year-old son Jeremiah most likely will be a fixture in the store, she said. She’s even planning to make him T-shirts that say, “Kid in a Candy Store.”
The Evanses live in the Dutch Valley area, and Phil Evans is a physicist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They have lived in the Clinton area about 25 years, and have 18- and 29-year-old kids, as well as the toddler.
Evans Candy Company also plans to have an online store, which probably will debut sometime in January, Evans said.
The store is looking for special requests from customers for types of candy from the past that they would like to see featured in the store.
A notice on the store’s Facebook page says:
“Hello Clinton! We’re so excited to announce that we will be opening our candy and soda pop shop this fall! We will have so much to choose from including a blast-from-the-past selection.
“We would love to include a few of your favorites, so drop a comment and let us know what those are! We will be sure to keep you updated on our grand opening date as we get closer. We’re looking forward to serving the Clinton community.”