Sweet Expectations
Little did Leah Smith and Lily Storer know that a mutual friend’s baby shower was about to change their lives. The two friends bonded over both having twins and their love for candy, and shortly after that, Gumdrops and Lollipops was born. The company focuses on personalized candy experiences, and they provide their customers with something fun, creative and delicious. This woman-owned business is new to the Shreveport-Bossier City area, and the two friends have hopes of opening a traditional candy store one day.
Q&A
with: LiLy and Leah
Q: How did Gumdrops and Lollipops start, and what do you offer customers?
Storer: We met at a baby shower for a mutual friend. We hit it off quickly when we realized we were both moms of twins. Leah and I both love the whimsical, fun and creative aspect of the candy world, so we knew we wanted to create a business around that together. Smith: We offer custom candy buffets for weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, graduation parties, holiday parties and corporate events. We also custom gift baskets for teacher gifts, Easter, Valentine’s Day and corporate gifts. We provide birthday party favors, wedding favors and class favors. We can also put a monogram on just about anything to make it extra special.
Q: How is business so far? What are your hopes for the future?
Smith: We have been amazed at the response to our business thus far. We knew that we were doing something our friends would like, but the response has been overwhelming. We have been blessed with great customers that come back time and again. We have always wanted to open a traditional candy store and still have dreams of opening one.
Q: How important is it to you that you are a woman-owned business?
Storer: I think that we are so lucky to live in a time where women can have it all. I am a stay-at-home mom of three kids and can work around their schedules. We make work fun, and so it never seems stressful or daunting. We love what we do!
Q: What would you tell other women who want to start their own business?
Smith: We love that we are two moms, having fun and making it all work. We would tell other women to be realistic about the demands and decide before getting started how much of your everyday life you are willing to give up.
Q: Did you see a need in the Shreveport area for the services you provide?
Smith: Absolutely! Busy parents want their children to have fun, creative baskets. Brides want that something special at their wedding. Corporations want to be able to send personalized gift baskets to clients. In a Pinterest-filled world, there is a lot of pressure to provide creative Easter baskets, birthday buckets, class favors, etc. We realized we could relieve that stress from busy parents by taking care of it for them. We also knew that brides (and their wedding guests) love a candy buffet. We can put together a beautiful, elegant candy buffet for less than someone would spend trying (usually unsuccessfully) to do it themselves.
