PORT ANGELES — The flood that forced Bob and Lindi Lumen’s Northwest Fudge & Confections to close for more than nine months this year didn’t come from a chocolate kettle gone rogue.
It came from the ceiling.
On Jan. 28, just after 2 p.m., a customer in the downtown candy store looked up and sounded the first alarm.
“Your ceiling’s dripping,” Lindi Lumens recalled him saying.
What started as a trickle from a small spot in the ceiling soon turned into a full-on deluge.
Maintenance workers from Peninsula Housing Authority, which owns the building and the 48 apartments above it at Lee Plaza, were already dealing with a plumbing leak when the problem migrated into the Lumens’ store.
“They brought in a big trash can, because (the water) was filling up buckets that we put there,” Lindi Lumens said.
By that night, it appeared the situation was under control.
The next day, the Lumens discovered things had gotten worse.
“The windows on both sides of the door and the door were dripping with water inside,” Lindi Lumens said.
The carpet was soggy, a section of soaked drywall had fallen down, and water was still pouring in from the ceiling.
The couple, who bought the shop — then called Seaside Sweets — in 1999 and rebuilt it as Northwest Fudge and Confections, closed it that afternoon.
What followed was a months-long gut job.
Water had traveled along the aging PVC pipes and light fixtures, soaking walls and fixtures well beyond the original leak.
First came mold and asbestos testing. Then contractors began tearing out the damaged areas.
“They ultimately replaced 80 percent of the drywall on the ceiling, and they replaced 24 inches along the bottom 2 feet of the drywall all the way around the store,” Bob Lumens said.
The flooring and underlayment had to go, too.
The Lumens had removed the entire contents of the store — from candy to stuffed animals to display cabinets.
“Absolutely everything down to the last paper clip,” Bob Lumens said, was hauled out so workers could strip the space to its shell.
The timing of the disaster could hardly have been worse. The store missed Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and the entire summer tourist season.
The commercial kitchen at the back of the store where the fudge kettle, chocolate tempering machine and all of the Lumens’ candy-making equipment was located could not be used.
“We were just plain out of business,” Lindi said. “We couldn’t make anything to sell online.”
Bob bristled at the idea that the nine-month closure amounted to time off. They worked the entire time, he said.
Candy that had not been affected was donated to schools. Items that were ruined went to the dump. The couple repaired, sanded and repainted water-damaged wooden fixtures.
During the closure, the couple’s insurance company compensated them for lost income and inventory. They reopened on Nov. 4.
Now when customers walk into the shop, they’re greeted by the same warm, interior with glass jars filled with colorful candies and shelves stocked with a mix of old-school favorites and modern treats — a balance the owners say has evolved through years of listening to customers.
Some candies skew nostalgic, like bridge mix, NECCO wafers, salt water taffy and spice drops. Others are decidedly contemporary, like Warheads Sour Cubes.
“We had one person a few years ago came in and said, it looks like Norman Rockwell met Willy Wonka,” Lindi Lumens said. “And that was like — yeah — that sums it up.”
Before the flood, the couple regularly produced house-made chocolates, a line they plan to rebuild. For now, they source truffles, creams, clusters and nut patties from regional producers in Spokane and Portland.
Fudge remains the cornerstone of the business, accounting for about a quarter of total sales. Lindi Lumens develops most of the recipes herself, often mulling flavor combinations for weeks or months, experimenting with flavors and adjusting proportions until it’s exactly right.
Gooey Mess, a caramelly, marshmallow-studded answer to Rocky Road, is the most popular flavor.
The Lumens also maintain an online store, a part of the business they are working to expand.
Their guiding philosophy is simple: stock what brings people joy.
“People come into a candy store because they’re happy or because they want to be happy,” Lindi Lumens said.
Just in time for the holidays, Northwest Fudge and Confections is able to offer a little bit of that happiness again.
Northwest Fudge and Confections is located at 108 W. First St. and can be reached at 360-452-8299 or by email at nwpa@olypen.com. The store hours are from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
Classic candy like NECCO wafers — introduced in 1847— Turkish Taffy (1912), Charleston Chew (1925) and Sky Bars (1938) are part of the offerings at Northwest Fudge and Confections. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
