Mikka's Sweet Tooth Candy Shoppe set up their new kiosk in November, offering a wide selection of unique treats.
A young entrepreneur’s unique candy shop is taking on Bridgewater’s sweet tooth at a new location.
Mikka Kaulback, the 15-year-old owner of Mikka’s Sweet Tooth Candy Shoppe, has found a new retail location in the South Shore Centre to sell his vast collection of candy.
Since outgrowing his former household shop space, which quickly outgrew what the Town of Bridgewater bylaws allowed in residential areas, subsequently shutting down the store, Kaulback has set up a candy kiosk last month in the mall’s central court.
While business is good, adapting to a separate location has brought with it some new challenges, he said.
“It’s a bit difficult with the space,” said Kaulback.
“We thought we would have less space here because it was a kiosk, but we actually have more space. So we had to get in a bunch of inventory to fill out the shelves.”
Replenishing stock is a bit different from running the business at home, he said, as he can’t run downstairs to grab a box of product. However, Kaulback said sales have been better than expected.
Kaulback’s kiosk is stocked practically from the floor to the ceiling with candy, chocolate and even drinks, each item as unique as the other. This, he said, is how he stays in the game.
“We try and get products from all around the world,” said Kaulback.
“We have some products you can’t get in Canada at all. Other retailers, they just get the common stuff you can get anywhere, but we try and stay away from the common stuff.”
Kaulback gained inspiration for his original candy shop from the memories he had as a kid visiting a candy store while on a trip down south.
“Every year we would go to Florida, and we’d visit this candy shop there” he said.
“It had candy packed from floor to ceiling. Everyone who went in there was just so excited to be in there, the person who ran the shop was super bubbly and super happy. I wanted to bring that atmosphere back to Bridgewater.”
But running a business isn’t easy for a teenager, and juggling life, school and running the business can be hectic.
“Some days I’ll miss school for the shop,” he said.
“Like, if something really needs to happen, but dad is working and mom has to go to the city or something, I’ll come down here and run it in the morning. For the most part though, I’ll get my work done in school and it’s not that bad.”
At the moment, the plan is to stay in the mall until sometime in January, at which point Kaulback and his family will look at whether or not they should stay there or not.
With files from Cheyenne Nelson
