Sweet Treasures Confectionary, a Lunenburg staple since 1996, will have a new home starting in 2020.
But Melissa Shaw, the store’s current owner, said ice cream connoisseurs need not worry; the business will be a stone’s throw away from its current location.
Shaw has purchased a new property at 110 Montague Street, which is just down the street from Sweet Treasures’ habitual home.
“It’s a fantastic building and for quite some time, we’ve wanted to be in a building of our own. We will permanently have a guaranteed space,” said Shaw.
Sweet Treasures had previously always had a lease at 125 Montague Street in the town’s old blockshop.
She added that the new space, which is a waterfront property, will give her the flexibility to expand.
“We went from having a tiny little store to having this big, three level waterfront property. I’ve been trying to figure out what we’re going to do with all this space.”
Shaw said she has plans to convert the basement into an overnight rental property, as well as renovating the upper floor for office space.
The new space will also allow Sweet Treasures to expand its kitchen and as a result, its ice cream selection.
In the meantime, business will continue as usual throughout the summer with plans to move the store in November.
But the move is more than just a shift for Shaw; she is leaving a space that has housed her workplace for years.
“When I walk into Sweet Treasures, it feels like home,” she said, explaining that she first starting working at the store as a teenager.
Now in her 30s, the Lunenburg native said she has grown along with the business, which she purchased from her friend and mentor Inge Hatton 12 years ago.
Hatton said Shaw was a conscientious worker from the beginning, so much so that she sold her the business when Shaw was still in university.
“I’m very, very fond of Melissa. She is a delightful young woman. I felt that if I were to sell the business, it would give me great pleasure to pass it on to her,” said Hatton.
“I’m delighted. I knew that she could fly and she seems to be soaring.”
For her part, Shaw said she is happy to have been able to carve out a life in her hometown.
“I don’t feel like there’s that many job opportunities around here and I’m very fortunate Inge helped me find my way. I probably will never leave,” said Shaw.
Hatton added that she’s proud of Shaw’s growth over the years.
“She’s grown in the finest ways,” she said. “I’ve told her many times: I would have loved to have had her as my own daughter.”
However, Shaw’s success hasn’t come without hard work.
When asked how many hours she had spent at the old store, Shaw couldn’t even begin to guess.
And despite the countless hours of work, she said she hasn’t tired of ice cream.
“I eat ice cream almost every day,” she said with a smile.
