When Kelly Stover took over Riverside Sweets (416 S. Main) from her parents in 2020, she was continuing a tradition that began in her teens. She has spent her entire adult life making candy, helping preserve the shop’s handmade recipes and old-fashioned atmosphere. Today, her own children work alongside her, carrying the family business into its next chapter.
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Organization: Riverside Sweets
Title: Co-owner
Age: 46
What motivated you to get involved in this work/community/activity? My parents bought a similar business when I was 15, so I’ve been making candy for my entire adult life. When they were ready to retire from Riverside Sweets, it seemed fitting that I take over!
What values or principles guide how you show up in this role/community? We pride ourselves on making handmade candy from real ingredients right here on-site, where folks can even watch us. We have always strived to keep the small, old-fashioned atmosphere at our shop. We want people to feel at home when they walk into our store.
What’s the most enjoyable aspect? All the “quality control” sampling! Just kidding! For me, my favorite part has been the fact that I got to work alongside my parents for many, many years, and all of my own children have worked or do work with me now. It’s a true family business.
Can you briefly share a few standout memories? Well, one memory that we will never forget is that my business partner and I took over the business from my parents on April 1, 2020—right in the middle of the pandemic when we couldn’t even be open for business! Most people probably thought we were nuts!
Can you share an insight about this role that most people don’t know? Owning a business is really a lot of work and stress behind the scenes. But also very rewarding.
What’s one key piece of advice you’ve embraced? Whatever it is, it’s worth a try. If it doesn’t work the way you’d hoped, try something different!
What’s the greatest challenge? It’s hard to keep great staff throughout a very seasonal type of shop. We have our very busy and very slow seasons and the staffing needs vary greatly. We hire a lot of high school kids and they become kind of an extended family. It’s often hard to lose them when they go away to college.
What are your future plans or ambitions? I hope we can continue to grow Riverside Sweets into something even more successful than the last 27 years has been, and that maybe one of our children will want to continue the tradition someday.
