MY CHILDHOOD
Who doesn’t have a childhood memory wrapped in the delights of candy? For me, candy is intertwined with my memories of visits to my grandparents in Holland and living in the small cities of Germany. There, in the town of my birthplace, the biggest thrill was to go to the market, in the city square and choose from a dizzying array of candies (snoepjes) scooped into a paper sack (zak) by the hustling candy man. There was nothing better than being able to select those sweets that I actually liked, in just the amounts that I wanted. Years later, when I was able to bring my children to the same Dutch market and watch them pick out their own candy (many types of which they had never seen before), it brought back all those wonderful childhood memories.
Candy also represented the one item that, as a child, I could buy with my own limited funds. With my meager cash in hand, I would carefully peruse the available selections and debate whether I wanted gummy bears, Pixie Stix or Fun Dip, the choices just seemed endless. But how much fun to be able to be in charge of that choice!
MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Sadly realizing that I did not have the mental acuity for medical science, my dreams of being a veterinarian were replaced with an interest in the law. Growing up with a father that was a military police officer in the Army, it was no surprise that I pursued a career as an attorney.
Years later, married to another attorney and raising 3 kids, I felt as if I had reached a point where I no longer wanted to work for others and desired a career that gave me more time and flexibility to spend with my family. My dilemma was that I did not know what path I wanted to take to achieve that goal.
HOW ZAZOLI WAS BORN
The neighborhood where my kids went to school has a bit of a tradition. On any given Friday, rain or shine, swarms of kids descend upon local businesses to purchase sweet treats. Although there were options such as ice cream, sweet drinks and cakes, there was no shop dedicated to candy and chocolate. So one sunny spring Friday waiting for my kids and watching the mass exodus of children looking for something sweet, it occurred to me that a candy store worthy of my nostalgic childhood would be a perfect fit in our community.
From that vision, Zazoli Sweets was born where we endeavor to bring the fun and magic back to candy and make you feel like the proverbial kid in the candy store.
