Fudgery marks anniversary

Ron Cole never really liked store-bought fudge.
But the fudge his wife Sharlette makes, that’s a different story. He enjoyed that so much that he suggested she open a shop of her own.
“Every year at Christmas time he would say, why don’t you start selling this stuff instead of giving it all away,” said Sharlette Cole this week as she prepared to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of Sharlette’s Fudgery at 112 S. Meridian St. in Portland.
Sharlette and Ron, her helper in the business, had an open house with coffee and cookies of patrons Friday, and the celebration continues from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.
From the time she was young, Sharlette had always made fudge. She learned from family members, with chocolate being her mother’s specialty while her grandmother favored peanut butter.
But she was a little leery of making fudge in large batches, until she was asked to do that job at Bearcreek Farms. She was there for about three years, and then started her own business out of White Linen Hall (where Harmony Café is now located).
Later that year she had the opportunity to move her current location, and she and Ron checked out the space.
“And I said, ‘Oh no,’” said Sharlette. “It was a total disaster. It was really bad.”
But promising to fix the place up using his carpentry skills, Ron convinced his wife to take the plunge. Ten years later, the business is still going strong.
Over the years, the business has expanded, offering more flavors of fudge, more cookies and more gifts.
The downtown shop also has a variety of sodas in glass bottles.
And one of the biggest changes has been in how Sharlette packages her creations.
“When a guy walks out of here with a box of fudge or anything else, he’s ready to hand it over,” said Sharlette of her boxes, wrapped this week with a bow and placed inside gift back decorated in the red and green of holly. “He’s in good shape, especially on Valentine’s Day and birthdays.”
She said she was surprised at how many people came in to buy presents, but she’s been happy to accommodate them by putting on the extra gift-wrapping touches.
In return, she noted, she often sees the same faces coming in to buy the fudge that is housed under a custom cabinet that Ron built.
There is even one loyal customer, a regular visitor to the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Show at Jay County Fairgrounds each August, who has a standing order to send fudge to his wife. So each month, Ron makes out a label and puts a box in the mail, destination: Carrollton, Ga.
“We have the same customers that come back year after year, the tractor show and bike show people,” said Sharlette. “At Christmastime a lot of the same customers come back.”
The most popular variety of fudge, she notes, is one that combines the best of her mother and grandmother: Peanut butter chocolate. And there’s always an interest in the variety of specialty flavors that are available on a limited basis.
Normally open four days a week, Sharlette’s has special hours in December — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday — to help accommodate those stopping in to buy Christmas gifts. The month is one of the busiest times of the year, leaving Sharlette and Ron so burnt out that they close in January.
But they’re back again on Feb. 1, giving customers plenty of time to visit and grab a Valentine’s Day treat for their sweetheart.
And they’re available for more than just gifts for special occasions, with a laid back atmosphere that includes a little table to sit down and have a snack while chatting with a friend.
It’s that kind of calm, small-town business the couple hopes to keep running for years to come.
“We agreed when we came in here it would just be a small mom and pop,” said Sharlette. “We don’t want to grow or do anything big. This is our retirement job.”[[In-content Ad]]