06/25/2021
https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/25/national-food-chains-downtown-wilmington-dunkin-rocket-fizz/5310793001/
Dear Wilmington,
After finally “surviving” the pandemic, we still had to close. I am at a loss for words about how it felt to walk past a national franchise candy store going in only 5 doors down from us on Market Street at the end of May. Admittedly, we have been in shock for several weeks, trying to determine whether or not we could keep treading water after what has been a tumultuous business year for so many small businesses like our own. I am sorry for the late update about our closing, but... our Downtown shop is indeed now closed.
Wilmington, you showed up for us - big time - last Spring when the world shut down. You ordered online. You did curbside pickup. You let us deliver to your doorsteps. But, there weren’t many of you.... not yet... we had just been open a few months. You didn’t know we were there. How could you? We had missed the summer of 2019 due to construction delays (post-Florence) and we were waiting on baited breath for Summer 2020 to launch our little sweet spot downtown.
My husband, kids and I worked tirelessly to show up for you, even on days when we had no foot traffic. The girls did virtual school from our storage room. We hosted online events at Christmas. We began packaging our bulk candy to keep things clean and customers safe. We kept diligently showing up, hoping the skies would clear and people would feel safe enough to venture back out Downtown. But it was tough.
We felt hopeful again this February when vaccines became readily available, the Film industry came alive again and we got an order from The Black Phone crew which saved us in March. (Thank you!!)
April felt good.
But May, ohhh May. We were coming for you summer 2021!
And then, we weren’t.
My initial response to seeing their doors was total and utter defeat and intense anger. Normally, we are quite positive spirits in our household and non-confrontational for the most part. But post-storm, post-pandemic, post-survival-mode, this was just too much. I angrily stormed into their shop and called upon the owner and corporate rep demanding accountability, answers, and an apology. I got nothing but a smug reply and a shrug off.
We are still VERY MUCH OPEN at our mini flagship store on Bald Head Island, NC. We are still VERY MUCH OPEN through our online shop (www.nooniedoodle.com), and we are still VERY MUCH OPEN to the possibility that a “better” spot may come available at a reasonable rate in Wilmington or nearby.
But, for now, our Downtown Wilmington, NC location is very much closed. We just couldn’t try to compete when {store name} cut us off from Front St foot traffic, when {store name} cut off our legs despite our feet. When a national franchise stole our opportunity shine as a small, independent business. Their corporate rep even admitted to my face that they had scouted us, been customers in our shop, and still chose that location - knowing we had been open for nearly two years before them. They chose to shut us down rather than seeking a slightly more off-the-beaten-path spot to keep giving us a flying chance at being competitive. They didn’t care. They saw that we had an opportunity. And then they took it.
It’s not all their fault. We couldn’t afford big marketing spends in the beginning, and we could have done a few things differently I am certain. But we do want our community to know that we gave it our best shot and tried to support diversity, inclusion, and variety in our offerings to meet our locals’ needs.
We offer allergy-friendly candies, small-batch specialty candy, nostalgic favorites, bulk sweets (great for parties!!) and fun toys, games, and party goods. We hope you’ll still shop with us online and on BHI and until we land on our feet again in Wilmy, we’ll miss you LOTS!
Thank you for your Small Business Support, and we hope to see you again in town VERY soon! Have a lead on a cool spot? Let us know!!
Until then - we will try to keep things light and sweet - and get through this together. We appreciate you more than you know.
MUCH MUCH LOVE and LOLLIPOPS, 🍭 💕
Katie, Greg, Olive “Doodle” and Norie “Noonie” Guthrie
Email: [email protected]
Shop: www.nooniedoodle.com
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Visit: 6 Maritime Way | Bald Head Island, NC
With more chains coming to downtown, from DGX to a new candy store , how is that shaping the local dining scene?
