News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Kathy Nichols loves to create her homemade candies.
Anyone with the least bit of a sweet tooth owes themselves a visit to Tumbleweed Nut & Candy Wonderland, newly open at 123 E. Hood Ave. in Sisters.
Kathy Nichols is the sixth generation of a Norwegian/German candy-making family. Her candies are homemade right in the shop. The goal is to bring back something that has been lost in a mass-production society.
"I do everything from scratch," Nichols said. "Old-fashioned candies you used to find in stores."
That's moose tracks, peppermint bark, raspberry knobs, cherry cordials, hard candies and more. Nichols also offers homemade fudge and baked goods.
"I do spun candies for cake toppings," Nichols said. "It takes a while to make it."
She also offers gift baskets, which can be customized with two-hours notice.
The shop also features local art and Christmas décor.
Nichols opened the shop on Saturday, October 12, just in time for Harvest Faire, and she got a great reception.
"I had a great weekend," she said. "I've been received by the public and tourists really well."
Nichols was living in Montana, where she'd been for 16 years.
"The cold just got to me," she said.
With family in Washington, she was looking for a location somewhere between Washington and Montana.
"We were looking toward Bend," she said. But Bend didn't have the feel she was looking for. She headed west to check out Sisters.
"I rolled into town and this was it," she said.
A top priority was a good school system for her seventh-grade daughter, and she found that here as well.
Nichols initially thought of opening a deli, but decided Sisters has enough quality dining options. So she decided to tap her candy-making heritage and her love for creative work.
"I love doing what I do," she said. "I love creating."
She also saw a need for year-round Christmas décor. That side of the business will kick into high gear when the snow falls and the goose is getting fat.
"At Christmastime, every Sunday during December, we'll have Mrs. Claus sitting in that chair so all the kids can come and have different stories," she said.
Nichols says she's always open to customer suggestions and she stands ready to sweeten up folks' day.
"I just want to make people smile," she said.
For information email tumbleweednutandcandy [email protected]
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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