Madeira Beach staple Candy Kitchen reopens after hurricanes

MADIERA BEACH, Fla. - Madeira Beach’s Candy Kitchen has been a staple since it opened around 1950. 

That didn’t stop Hurricanes Helene and Milton from forcing them to close their shop for two months due to hurricane-related damage.

On Nov. 28, Thanksgiving, its doors will finally be back open. The good news comes as its sister shop in Redington Shores reopened on Nov. 27.

READ: Nominate a 'Hurricane Hero' who went above and beyond after recent storms 

Matthew Giordano, Co-owner of the Madeira Beach location, said letters of support for the 75-year-old Candy Kitchen started pouring in not long after Helene passed. 

"So glad you, your family, and your employees are OK," one letter read. 

Another letter read, "So sorry to see the destruction, but so thrilled to see the energy, the people, and the prayers going towards the rebuilding." 

"I have a pile of letters people have mailed us, and it’s beyond heartwarming," Giordano said. "I mean, that's been my favorite part," he said. 

Giordano said Helene flooded the store and ruined all their equipment and stock. 

"You’re overwhelmed. You don’t know where to start," Giordano said.

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Candy Kitchen raised $40,000 for the cleanup efforts, and customers worldwide donated their time to help them take the first steps. 

"It’s like people coming to check on an old friend," Giordano said. "Clearly, we’re emotional, but it’s a double-edged sword, because you realize this is so much more than just us. It’s so many people, so you feel like you have to get it running. It’s 75 years." 

Some who’ve stopped in to help or to see if the store is back open signed the walls, as customers have been doing for decades. These messages are perhaps even more heartfelt. 

Giordano said without that support, they wouldn’t be able to open on Nov. 28. 

"It just felt appropriate because we want to have the opportunity, you know, Thanksgiving, you spend it with your friends, you spend it with your family," Giordano said. "We want the opportunity for people to come in and spend it with them."

READ: Historic Seahorse Café on Pass-a-Grille Beach ravaged by storms 

The owners of the store’s sister shop in Redington Shores agree that without the community’s help, they wouldn’t have been able to reopen on Nov. 27. 

That’s because the back-to-back hurricanes destroyed their equipment and stock, too. 

"It's pretty monumental," Co-owner Bob Hoffman said. "We didn't think we'd be in this position to be open as quickly as we are, and it took a village, truly, from supplies, to the things that you needed, to physical product, to inventory, to shelving."

Hoffman said he and his family are grateful despite the hardship the hurricanes caused them. 

"We're blessed to have had the help that we've had. We're blessed to be in a position to say that today, in fact, we are re-opening," Hoffman said. "It's even more special that it happens to be this week right before the big holiday." 

In May, Hoffman and his wife, Pam, bought the Redington Shores location. 

"It was pretty heart-wrenching. I mean, you purchase the business, and literally, within two months or three months, you're putting everything you paid for by the curb to be picked up," Hoffman said.

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Hoffman says that it is essential to look at those who have lost more than him and his family as inspiration to move forward after the hurricanes.

"You have to look on the brighter side. There are so many people in this community, so many people around us, that have scenarios that are much worse than ours," Hoffman said. "We’re blessed to have a roof over our heads."

Hoffman continued, saying, "Sure, we lost the business (and) it's financially painful, but we're going to be back stronger and better than ever and just look forward to the future." 

Hoffman says he is ready to face the upcoming challenges of reopening the Candy Kitchen head-on.

"We're just so happy to be back open. It's going to be slow. It's going to take a while for the life here at the beach to get back to some level of normalcy from a from a business perspective," Hoffman said. "But we're here, and we're anxious to get started."

The Madeira Beach location plans to reopen Nov. 28 from 6 p.m. until around 9:30 p.m. After Thanksgiving, the owners of both locations say they’ll have regular hours but may adjust them depending on how many customers come by.

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