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Business & Tech

The Sweetest Spot in Edmonds

Nama's Candy Store brings out the kid in everyone

Nama's Candy Store has the sweet and the sour, and everything in between. As the only candy shop in Edmonds, that is a very good thing!

Walking into Nama's is akin to the childhood fantasy of entering Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. A bright new color can be seen everywhere the eye lands, and the shelves are stocked full of tasty treats for every palette in town. Owner Pat McKee is the Candy Man himself, with a twinkle in his eye and a friendly smile for all who enter his shop.

Named for McKee's mother (her nickname was Nama), this confectionary has been an Edmonds staple for the past six years. McKee embarked on the venture after 25 years working at Nordstrom.

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"Opening a store in Edmonds was something [my wife and I] always wanted to do," McKee recalled. "Opening a candy store was just a whim based on the fact that there was not one already."

Six years later, the family enterprise is still running strong. According to McKee, every member of the family has worked in the store at some point. The community response, in turn, has been fantastic, and helpful in shaping the current selection of sweet treats in the store.

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"When we first opened it was going to be mostly novelty and fine chocolate," McKee said. "Then we put up a candy request board, and every day it was full with requests for nostalgic candy. So we created an entire section of nostalgic candy."

Nama's is the place to come for those childhood favorites you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else: Clark bars, old-fashioned giant lollipops, Zots, and root beer barrels are among the selection. If you can't find what you're looking for, add it to the candy request board, located by the front door.

Nostalgic candy isn't the only offering at Nama's. McKee also stocks his shop with fine chocolate, fun novelty candy, bulk candy (everything from gum drops to chocolate malted milk balls) and 25 different kinds of licorice. According to the Candy Man, some of the best-selling items are the chocolate-covered gummy bears, lollipops, salted licorice, and his personal favorite: double-chocolate truffles.

Even sweeter than the candy on the shelves is the fact that Nama's is devoted to giving back to Edmonds.

"We are very involved in the community," McKee said. "We visit schools and help out with the Parks Department. We do anything we can to help out around the town."

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