By Rieva Lesonsky
Jan Norman at The Orange County Register highlighted a fun entrepreneur in her blog recently. Jan found out about Judy Pomykata, owner of Classic Candy Buffet, when Pomykata’s company catered a party at the Register.
Classic Candy Buffet creates candy “bars” –but not the kind that are wrapped. Pomykata’s company designs lavish displays of candy for special events such as weddings and corporate parties. (See the photo at left for an example.)
Isn’t this a smart idea? During recessions, sales of chocolate and candy typically rise—and this recession has been no exception. (Research firm Packaged Facts has projected sales of chocolate in the U.S. to hit $18 billion next year.) Customers are looking for small indulgences that make them smile and bring back the carefree days when they were kids. Seeing a huge spread of candy and being able to dig in is pretty much every kid’s dream, right?
A former wedding and event planner, Pomykata got the idea for her business from some brides who asked her to set up candy tables. She thought it was a great idea—so much so that she began to focus on this as her sole business. Classic Candy Buffet has been in business for 17 years, so she’s definitely doing something right.
You can see more examples at Classic Candy Buffet’s Web site.
