Dessert dreamers and nut fanatics rejoice, Tumbleweed Nut and Candy Wonderland in Sisters is serving up savory treats and hand-crafted gifts for seasonal shoppers and pre-holiday browsers alike.
With the delirious scents of warm caramel, roasted nuts and hot apple cider drifting from their western-style building in downtown Sisters, owner Kathy Nichols hopes to create a fun, diversified spot for families and friend to relax and enjoy her tempting culinary creations and unique confections.
“I want this to be a memorable experience for locals and tourists, where they can come in with kids for candy and baked goods and gifts or just sit down and visit after walking around town all day,” she said. “We’ll be serving hot coffee, apple cider, hot cocoa and all kinds of home-made bakery items and old-fashioned candies.”
Many of Nichols’ guarded recipes have been passed down through her own family for generations, and others have been lost or forgotten over the decades but now making a nostalgic comeback.
“I always wanted to open my own store, whether it was a deli or a candy store. It seems I’m always cooking something for friends and family, doing weddings and my own floral arrangements.”
Tumbleweed has been open two weeks now and they’re still building up and settling in. Nichols and her husband, Paul, and daughter, Sara, made the recent transition from Helena, Montana where they’d lived for fifteen years and run a successful appliance and medical durable goods retail outlet.
“I wanted to be more centralized to family and out of the frozen tundra of forty below zero weather,” she joked. “We moved to Central Oregon for the environment, the climate, the sense of community and educational opportunities. Good schools were the number one driving force for our decision to move to Sisters. We were rolling through Sisters like a tumbleweed and found we really liked the area and that’s where we got the name for the store.”
One section of Tumbleweed will be devoted to Christmas-time year-round.
“I’m a Christmas person,” Nichols admitted. “I love decorating and between the smells from the baked goods and candy and lights from the outside of the store to the inside will put everyone in a festive holiday mood.
Most of the Christmas decorations, nutcrackers and bulbs are all hand-painted, as well as winter hats and other artwork that will be coming in on a rotating basis.”
One of the star attractions sure to lure visitors inside will be her Bavarian glazed cashews, pecans and hazelnuts fresh from the roasters. And during Christmas, Nichols will package chocolate-covered cashews, both white and dark, along with a regular roster of deliciously divine caramel corn and popcorn balls in all flavors.
“I’ll also have apple cinnamon rolls made fresh every day and specialty fudge, Irish Cream cupcakes, pistachio cupcakes with pink champagne frosting, chewy brownies, chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies and lemon bars,” said Nichols. “Suggestions are welcome and I care about what the community wants and needs and will do my best to get what they want.”
Decorating the walls is a vivid collage of colorful abstract contemporary art out of Palouse, Washington, and a unique collection of engraved woodwork plaques and folk art décor.
Tumbleweed shares an expansive outdoor back patio with DonTerra Artworks where customers can sit and linger or stroll around the landscaped sculpture garden in warmer months.
“As it gets closer to Christmas I’ll have much more holiday merchandise, more custom gift baskets and Christmas trees sparkling with original ornaments to choose from. Every special order basket will have a surprise gift placed inside too.
I hope people will stop by to see what’s cooking every day, as there’ll be many changes going on all the time. There’ll be plenty of comfortable seating and tables for big and small groups to share. I love living here in Sisters and truly look forward to pleasing everyone who comes in to Tumbleweed to visit us.”
Tumbleweed Nut and Candy Wonderland is open six days a week, weekends until 7pm and closed on Monday. 123 East Hood Avenue, Sisters. www.tumbleweedcandystore.com 541-588-2046.
