Mint to Be: Norfolk Business Finds Sweet Spot

Stephanie Fleming found the sweet spot for her new business in Downtown Norfolk. The Colorado native and her husband, Brian, made their confectionary debut by opening 4th St. Sweets last summer, and Norfolk’s sweet tooth hasn’t been the same since. You’ll find them happily mixing up batches of fudge, peanut brittle and bark in their retro candy shop, complete with teal blue walls and black-and-white checkered floors at 103 N. Fourth St.

Owning her own candy store wasn’t on the menu for Stephanie for quite some time. In fact, she leaned toward the pen rather than the mixing bowl. While in high school, she wrote stories for her smalltown newspaper. She worked a few shifts as a radio DJ as well. She supported herself in retail while earning a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Northern Colorado. Over the years, she’s worked tech support for HP printers, authored two children’s books, worked as a technical writer, and has driven a beverage cart at a golf course. She even earned “Employee of the Month” at a Lowe’s Home Improvement store before she took herself out of the workforce to focus on her family as a stay-at-home mom.

Stephanie got her first taste of the sweeter side of business when she landed a job at a busy franchised chocolate retail store, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, at an outlet mall in Castle Rock, Colo. “I quickly became enamored with working with tempering chocolate, decorating apples, making barks, scooping ice cream, supervising teens, getting to know my customers, and making delicious gourmet coffee drinks,” Stephanie said. “It was a really fast-paced, fun job, and I learned everything I could about retail candy shop management from the owner.” And she dreamed of owning a candy shop someday.

It wasn’t until a visit to Northeast Nebraska in fall 2021 that the Flemings really started thinking about leaving the “rat race” of Colorado. Brian is a native of Wayne, and the Flemings ultimately settled on Norfolk as home sweet home. The Flemings did not receive the warmest of welcomes when they moved from Colorado to Norfolk in February 2022, with a temperature reading of double digits below zero. Finding a business location just a few months later sweetened the deal though. “We chose Norfolk with the intention of opening a candy shop in the growing downtown River Point District,” she said. The shop’s retail space on North Fourth Street needed some upgraded lighting and electrical work. And the Flemings added awning and a new floor before 4th St. Sweets’ official opening in July 2022. The space is small and welcoming, which is just the right feeling the Flemings were aiming for. “The candy kitchen is separated from the front by a window, so customers can see what we are making on the marble island,” she said. “We love listening to music while we work, and you never know if we’ll be playing country, disco, ’80s or ’50s.”

Originally, the business was to be called “The Sweet Spot,” but that name was not able to be registered. The Flemings’ second choice of 4th St. Sweets reflects “the sweetest street” in Norfolk, Stephanie said. The response from their business’s “soft opening” garnered such a strong response that the Flemings haven’t gotten around to an official grand opening yet. Brian, who has a background in retail management and sales, “retired” last fall to work alongside Stephanie at 4th St. Sweets. “We have a lot of fun together, so I feel very lucky to get to spend each day with him, doing something I love, which is making people smile,” she said.

Together they whip up small batches of fudge and bark, dip strawberries and cherries, and stir up fresh caramel. Customer favorites include giant peanut butter cups and buckeyes, peanut butter fudge partially dipped in chocolate. Chocolate-dipped jalapenos are an unusual offering as well. “The crunchy pepper, mixed with creamy chocolate, is an unexpected treat,” Stephanie said. “We also offer dipped Twinkies, which are to die for.” Stephanie’s personal favorite is chocolate-enrobed gummi worms or bears. She’s even collaborating on a Gummi Bear Stout beer with Divots Brewery.

The Flemings use Guittard chocolate – which is non-GMO, kosher, made in the United States and gluten free – and utilize family favorite recipes passed down generation to generation. “My grandma was an amazing baker, and some of my fondest memories are learning to cook with her,” she said, adding that her fail-proof basic chocolate fudge recipe is from her grandfather. “I also look to Pinterest for fun flavors and ideas for other confections.”

A variety of flavors of bark and fudge is always available, but the menu is changed seasonally. “I had fun with Halloween-themed apples, marshmallows and Oreos,” Stephanie said. “We’ll be adding holiday flavors to our fudges, such as maple or eggnog. We’ll have apple pie caramel apples, peppermint bark, hot cocoa bombs, divinity and pralines, and peanut brittle. We will offer dipped strawberries for Valentine’s Day,” Stephanie said. “There will be chocolate bunnies and peanut butter eggs in the spring. We also hope to do other fun things like gender-reveal chocolate pinatas, gifts, and chocolate charcuterie for weddings.”

Along with homemade goodies, the candy store offers a wide selection of retro and novelty candy, as well as special order chocolate gifts, boxes, and trays. “If there’s a candy you remember from your childhood, we’ll try to find it,” Stephanie said. The Flemings love to hear from their customers, including any requests. “Most everyone who shops at our store tells us that Norfolk really needed a chocolate and candy shop,” she said. “We are just happy to be here in Norfolk and hope that everyone continues to enjoy our sweet offerings. We consider the shop to actually be ‘your candy shop,’ and we welcome suggestions on what we can offer or how we can continue to be awesome.”

Norfolk Now Magazine: Spring/Summer 2023

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