Something Sweet Candy Shop opens in downtown Lafayette, offering freeze-dried sweets

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — What started as a holiday hobby evolved into a downtown Lafayette business for William Skaggs and Joy Gorringe with the grand opening of Something Sweet Candy Shop, located at 128 N. Third St.

Gorringe said she made her first bits of candy just over 20 years ago, experimenting with peppermint bark and toffee around the holidays. As friends and family got the chance to give her candy a taste, Gorringe said she couldn't seem to make enough to keep up with the demand.

As the couple began looking into making Gorringe's seasonal candy a year round endeavor, Skaggs said he also started researching new and popular candy trends. That's when he stumbled upon the idea of freeze-dried candy.

Their freeze-dried candy debuts locally at the Something Sweet Candy Shop's grand opening from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25.

"This stuff was trending all over Tik Tok," Skaggs said. "People want it, and it's fun, but it's still kind of hard to find. So in March of last year, we bought our first drier machine and began making our own."

The pair began setting up their freeze-dried candy business at festivals and events around Indiana, building a following of customers that has translated to steady internet sales. One of their biggest set ups occurred during the 2023 Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, Indiana.

Skaggs said they spent three months preparing candy to account for the level of sales.

"Our success there at the Covered Bridge Festival is what has helped us fund opening this store," Skaggs said.

When Skaggs and Gorringe first decided to open a candy store, their focus was on their over 50 flavors of freeze-dried candy, which has a light and crunchy texture while being intensely flavorful. But as candy trends continue to evolve, Skaggs said they want to keep up with them, offering what trends online in their downtown Lafayette store.

But for Gorringe, seeing people enjoy the once hard and chewy candy-turned light and crunchy is what brings her joy in their candy business.

"It's always the memories you see that hit people as soon as they pop one in their mouths, because for a lot of people, especially the elderly, there are certain candies they just can't have anymore because of the hard and chewy texture," Gorringe said. "When the candy is freeze-dried, then anyone can eat it. When I started freeze drying brittle, people would tell me, 'Oh my gosh, I haven't had this in years, but it reminds me of a loved one.' That's what makes this fun for me."

Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ellison_writes.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Something Sweet Candy Shop now offers freeze-dried sweets in Lafayette