HALLOWELL — Scrummy Afters, the popular Water Street candy shop, is going mobile.

Co-owners Kim Davis and her daughter Hilary Davis recently purchased a toy hauler and plan on bringing their candy store experience to fairs and other events around the state as early as April.

“The opportunities for us are endless,” Kim Davis said. “There really won’t be a limit to what we can do.”

The expansion of their business has been in the works since the mother-daughter duo opened at 136 Water St. five years ago.

The upcoming reconstruction of the downtown busy corridor was the catalyst to get the idea moving, Kim Davis said, and the owners hope money earned will help offset any potential losses sustained during the Water Street project.

“I think everyone is a little apprehensive and unsure of what the construction will look like,” Kim Davis said. Business owners have expressed concern that the extensive construction will result in a significant loss of business, especially since the bulk of the work will be completed during Hallowell’s busy summer season.

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The Maine Department of Transportation will reconstruct a 2,000-foot stretch of Water Street, which is also U.S. Route 201 — beginning in April and expect to complete the bulk of the work by October. Contractors will work Monday through Thursday from sunrise to sunset and from sunrise to 3 p.m. Friday. There will be no work on the weekend.

The Davis’ expect to spend the next few weeks fine tuning their plan and turning the toy hauler, which they bought from a man in Gorham for about $5,000, into a mobile version of their Hallowell business. They considered using a professional company to outfit the vehicle, but it is much cheaper to do it themselves, and Hilary Davis is an artist, so it makes sense to take advantage of her talents.

Kim Davis

“We haven’t gotten much sleep lately because we’ve been all over the place trying to get this together,” Kim Davis said. She has been submitting applications to municipalities for vendor licenses and making contact with groups around the state, from fair operators in Litchfield and Windsor to the Great State of Maine Air Show in Brunswick.

“It’s a lot of work, and I’ve got our applications out,” she said. “We’ll try to avoid going to places where there already is an established candy business.”

The Davis’ hope to have a smaller vehicle before the end of the year that they can take to private events like weddings and birthday parties. They said they want to use the mobile business to bring people to Hallowell.

Hilary Davis is the face of the business, her mother said, so she’ll be the one operating the mobile candy store most of the time. The brick-and-mortar business runs on autopilot because of a well-trained and trusted staff, which will give the mother and daughter pair the opportunity to spend a considerable about of time focusing on the mobile business.

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The vehicle will have bright colors and designs, and Hilary Davis said she wants it to have a bubble machine instead of music traditionally found on an ice cream truck. The inside will give customers a similar experience to shopping at the physical location in Hallowell. Hilary Davis said they’ll have bulk candy options and Scrummys’ homemade chocolate.

“It’s a little different, but we have some ideas of what kids want to eat at the fair,” Hilary Davis said. “We know what kids like.”

There will be space for advertising and weekly sponsorships, Hilary Davis said, like from a local dentist who wants to sponsor the truck’s visit to the Windsor Fair.

The owners considered opening a second location elsewhere in central Maine, but rent, additional staff and daily operating costs made it an expensive option. They hope that the enterprise will be profitable and well-received, and Kim Davis said she’d like to have an entire fleet of vehicles in the future.

Relocating the store’s kitchen — located in the back of the establishment — is another project the owners hope to complete before the end of the summer. Moving the kitchen to a property the Davis’ own will allow them to re-open the store’s party room, which has been used for birthday parties and other events in the past. It’ll provide another source of income.

The Davis’ are funding the expansion with a loan from Kennebec Savings Bank, which Kim Davis said has “a lot of faith in their plans.” Chief Executive Officer and President Andrew Silsby said the bank is built on relationships with local shops like Scrummy Afters.

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Vice President and Services Manager Katie Vickers said the Davis’ came to the bank with a well thought out plan and passion for their business. She said it was easy to recognize the merits of their business idea, and the bank wanted to be a part of it.

“Sometimes you have to be creative and collaborate to achieve goals and we enjoy working with customers to help make their dreams become a reality,” Vickers said. “It is people like Kim and Hilary that make the fabric of our community so strong.”

The pair is excited about the possibilities for their new business and hope they receive positive support from the community.

“I hope we make Hallowell proud,” Hilary Davis said. “I think it’s going to be pretty cool.”

Jason Pafundi — 621-5663

jpafundi@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ


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