Rumor has it that Sandy Charbonneau to make candies from her grandmother, and because everyone loved her sweet creations, she opened a candy shop.

But none of that is true.

“My grandmother died before I was born,” Charbonneau said. “It’s a nice story.”

The real reason why Sandy and Steve Charbonneau opened The Candy Shoppe 16 years ago was to teach their children — and also because of a message Charbonneau received from God.

“I was home educating my two youngest children when my daughter suggested Port Orchard needed a candy store,” she said.

“We all agreed to create a business plan for opening a shop and to use that to incorporate all their subject lessons,” Sandy said.

So, she and son, Alex, 12 at the time, and daughter Becca, then 15, used math to calculate the floor plan of the shop, space for cabinets and jars, and figured out how much to buy.

They used English to write a business plan. They learned about cooking, ordering, construction, working with wholesale companies and learning to provide excellent customer service, and the many details anyone would need to know if they were opening a store.

A lifelong resident of Port Orchard, Charbonneau wanted to build in downtown Port Orchard to “bring it the respect this waterfront town deserves,” she said.

Sandy, Alex and Becca searched for a place to open the shop and met with Joe Mentor, owner and contractor of the building at 833 Bay St., which was under construction.

“Joe made us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” she said. “He agreed this is what Port Orchard needed. We chose his smallest unit and started with just about 750 square feet, allowing for a 6-foot by 9-foot kitchen.”

She stocked the shop with candy, candy and more candy. That continues today. Her homemade Royal Chocolates and Royal Fudge are her specialties. And, as the business has grown, so has her inventory.

Today, The Candy Shoppe has an average of 40 flavors of Royal Fudge on hand at any one time. But she’s come up with recipes for more than 400 flavors and makes them on site almost daily, displayed in an antique candy counter. Even visitors who poke their head into the shop are offered a free taste.

Other candy offered includes homemade Royal Chocolate bars, Sinclair Cream Corn, truffles, creams, sea foam, saltwater taffy, Jelly Belly jelly beans, 70 different types of licorice and many of the old-fashioned candy her older shoppers remember from when they were kids.

There are jawbreakers of all sizes, three-pound rainbow lollipops, Tootsie Rolls in every flavor imaginable, Bit-o-Honey, Chicken Bones, Neccos, candy sticks, horehound or anise or lemon drops, and even candy cigarettes.

Her penny candy now costs from 2 cents to 10 cents.

When The Candy Shoppe first opened she learned, “We can’t put candy and chocolates in our big glass windows — it melts.”

So Charbonneau now displays gifts like etched glasses she custom-designed for Port Orchard, glass antique candy bowls and pop-culture mugs and tins in the windows.

It was almost four years ago that a neighboring business closed, and Charbonneau decided she’d like to enlarge into that space that would allow for a larger kitchen area to make chocolates and fudges.

To pay for the expansion, which doubled their monthly expenses, she decided to use a third of the space to open a toy store for kids of all ages.

“I felt this quaint waterfront town deserved one,” she said. “So, my husband and I built the interior ourselves, using cabinets and doors from Habitat for Humanity.”

The square footage jumped to 1,400 feet, allowing offerings like hundreds of choices of jigsaw puzzles and Made-in-America items, durable, comfortable and washable Little Adventures Princess Dresses, dress-up costumes for boys and girls, puppets, adult and children’s coloring books and Blue Orange Games.

The items for sale also include European-imported and local custom wooden games, cribbage boards in fine woods for those with difficulty seeing or arthritic hands, science and art kits and supplies, an extensive Melissa & Doug line, Mind Ware/Mensa approved items, retro novelty toys and metal collectible cars. She searched for educational items loved by her family and found even more.

“This is the place where you can come on your way to a child’s birthday party and find a ‘something’ that not everybody else will bring,” she said.

“We try to stock unique items. We get our puppets from six different companies.”

Charbonneau buys at gift shows, merchandise marts, with companies that stand by their products, whether they are toys or candy, and through numerous company representatives. One of her taffy suppliers is a company in Salt Lake City that’s been in business for three generations.

“That’s one thing,” she said. “I’m a shopper. When I see quality items that I like or that a customer has asked about, I buy them for a good price and pass that savings on.”

She has many customers with special dietary needs.

“We have gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, soy-free and nut-free (items),” she said.

“I have raised children with allergies and I know what it’s like to go somewhere and hunt for something you can eat. I’ve learned to read labels and I try to have something for everyone.”

She’s a Master Gardener, a life coach, and a Reiki Master teacher with her Body and Soul Care LLC business in Port Orchard. She is health-conscious. She stocks ginger products that benefit and soothe the stomach, and helps boaters, travelers, pregnant mothers and cancer therapy patients with nausea. And her natural licorice, as well as ginger, is known to help folks soothe their stomach, clean the respiratory system, reduce stress and assist cancer treatments.

A new Amish product also is on its way.

Since becoming a candy shop owner, she’s researched sweets and has learned that science has proven that eating chocolate provides more antioxidants per cup than any other vegetable, according to the ORAC measurement index. A Johns Hopkins study in 2000 reported that those who eat candy live longer.

“I had to be convinced of that,” she said, “but I now believe. I’ve had regrets that I didn’t allow my children the joy of candy when they were growing up. I’ve really come a long way.”

At the shop, there is no favorite candy, she said.

“Everyone has their personal favorite and The Candy Shoppe provides (it),” she said.

She’s also made the Sidney Bar a hit. It has a milk chocolate and pecan base, with a layer of divinity, then caramel, covered with a layer of dark chocolate on top.

“I created it for the library to give at an event where they were thanking volunteers,” she said.

“I named it after Port Orchard’s original name. I used layers to represent (the fact) that most of downtown sits on layers of fill dirt. Soon after that, people came in asking to buy our bar. I had only made enough for the event, so I quickly made more and it’s been a hit ever since.”

Charbonneau has learned a lot from having a business.

“I’d never touched a cash register before,” she said. “I know that quality products, cleanliness and fair prices are my key to success. Posting hours and being open when you say you are open is a must when you ask customers to come out of their way to shop with you.”

Her favorite part is “being with people.”

“I love visiting with customers and finding out about their needs,” Charbonneau said.

“We have customers who may have lost a loved one and want to thank their many caregivers with a basket for nurses or convalescence centers to share, and we listen. The boaters and tourists will tell me all about their travels. Some come reminiscing because they were in the Navy and stationed in Kitsap County.

“I share in planning many wonderful baby showers, anniversaries of all kinds, birthdays, graduations, weddings and many holiday occasions.

Charbonneau also can give advice on setting up candy buffets, or can provide one for any occasion.

“We set up decorations, and label and rent our large decorative jars filled with candy, to match the chosen colors for the occasion,” she said. “Or, we can package candy for the guests to take with them, as a souvenir favor of the day.”

She said the store will keep evolving. She’s focused on making it a place that locals and tourists can’t resist. She supports local causes and donates often.

“All the Port Orchard shopkeepers are an asset and have helped build up this city,” she said.  “We bring people down to enjoy this beautiful waterfront.”

And, in case you’re wondering, Charbonneau said making candy is in her DNA. Her mom always made divinity, fudge and bar candies for her big extended family. On Halloween, her neighborhood specialty was passing out hundreds of popcorn balls.

“After people asked about my grandmother, my aunt and uncles assured me she sure did make candies, chocolates and had taffy pulls,” Charbonneau said.

“The older people around town remembered that she made candy in her kitchen for school fundraisers.

So, in a way, The Candy Shoppe is a fourth-generation family business, right here in Port Orchard.”