I'll Take You to the Candy Shop
Specifically, one candy shop owned by a pair of Hollywood actors.
Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. This one should satisfy your sweet tooth.
Paul Rudd and Jeffrey Dean Morgan own a candy shop together in Rhinebeck, NY.
I’m currently writing this while on a visit to Corpus Christi along the Texas Gulf Coast. Last night, we popped in for a snack at a lovely spot named Gallery 41, a bar and grill inside of an art gallery and next to a farmer’s market.
We ordered, and I quote, “every dessert on the menu.”
Chocolate churro cake? Yes. Classic Creme Brûlée? Oh yeah. Ottoman Cheesecake with a pecan and pistachio baklava crust? Heck yes. Bourbon bread pudding? You breader believe it.
Clearly, I have no qualms about ingesting sugar when the situation calls for it. As such, I bet owning a candy shop would be kind of cool.
Apparently, I have that in common with some Hollywood delights. Actors Paul Rudd and Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-own Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, New York.
How did this wonderful scenario come to be?
As Morgan explained on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he fell in love with the Hudson Valley area in New York after shooting some movies there. The first person he met was Ira Gutner, who had run a candy store since 1994.
Gutner died in 2014, and Morgan didn’t want the shop to “turn into a smoothie stand” or something similar. He pooled money together with his friend, Rudd, who has a home in Rhinebeck and is a pillar in the community.
Together, along with Hilarie Burton and Andy Ostroy, they’ve kept the spirit (and physical location) of Samuel’s Sweet Shop alive.
Rudd, in particular, frequently drops into the shop. He’ll serve candy, chat with customers, and even make coffee for guests to enjoy.
Samuel’s Sweet Shop has some classic items you’ll find in most candy shops, though they also have some sillier things in stock. In addition to “favorites samplers” from Paul, Jeffrey, and Hilarie, you can get Wonka-themed bars or Rice Krispies treats with the owners’ faces or Halloween monsters on them.
The shop recently introduced a partnership with Sweet Stash Candy, a collab from Martin Starr and the Potash Twins (you might know them better as “the horns players on your favorite songs”).
Looks like everyone’s getting in the candy game! Let me know your favorite sweet treat and we, too, can start a successful, charming business.
I'll actually share with a friend near Rhinebeck. Thanks Joey!