Making a Difference: Keeping a father’s legacy alive
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April 1, 2024
WAUPACA – Carolyn Niemuth said she could only describe Shindig Waupaca as a vintage style candy shop with an exciting wow factor that stems from her passion and dedication.
Spending several years as a camp director, Niemuth said she switched gears slightly when she opened Shindig in 2021, but was still inspired to help people in a way that would motivate, inspire and excite them.
“I’m a mother of four and a former camp director, and I really wanted more fun for kids — the options in Waupaca are very limited,” she said.
She said she and her husband decided a vintage candy store would be the perfect way to do that – and business has exploded ever since.
Initially, Niemuth said she was inspired to open Shindig Waupaca because of the lack of Waupaca businesses geared toward children.
“What drove me (at first) was the limited options for birthday parties,” she said. “You can go to the bowling alley, but you can only do that so many times, so I wanted to provide something else.”
After years of searching for options for her own children, Niemuth said she realized she had the skill set to address the gap.
“I have that background in directing and writing programs for kids, and because Chain O’ Lakes is a tourist area, I figured a kids’ party program combined with trendy and nostalgic candies would be a good combination,” she said.
Niemuth said she found the building (107 W. Fulton St.) that now houses Shindig while walking through downtown Waupaca with her husband.
“My husband and I were walking downtown one day and saw the building for sale, so we decided to go for it,” she said.
Despite opening their business in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Niemuth said her biggest concern was surviving in the downtown Waupaca area.
“It was definitely scary to open a new business, particularly because of the location we are in,” she said. “A lot of businesses have been in here in the last few years and haven’t lasted, but we’re still here.”
A whole new world
However, though Niemuth had experience working with children, she said she was new to the world of running her own business.
“I worked at environmental education centers, and I’ve also worked for the Girl Scouts, running summer camps, day camps and nature programs, and after that I did marketing for M-B Companies in New Holstein and Chilton,” she said. “So, I did have a lot of public relations experience, but nothing like this. So, with a song and a prayer, I just hoped that it worked.”
And so far, she said with a smile, it has.
Party packages
Shindig Waupaca, Niemuth said, offers a variety of birthday party packages that can be hosted in-store or taken on the go.
“The thing that attracts families to our party packages is that we do everything,” she said. “Our biggest package is called the Shindiggity and with that, we do everything from the invitation to a gift for all the kids, all the food and cake, party decorations, activities, prizes, the goodie bags — absolutely everything.”
Other packages include Shindig ala cart and Shindig on the go.
“I have been doing this for two years, and we’ve had more than 200 parties,” she said. “I would say about 85% of them have been the big Shindiggity party package. The parents love it because all they have to do is invite people and show up, and we take care of everything else. You make the mess and we clean it up – the parents have nothing to do with it.”
The atmosphere of having a party in a candy store, Niemuth said, “is pretty awesome for the kids, so we have a lot of fun.”
“As for the theme of the party, it’s whatever the child wants,” she said. “I have done parties from unicorns, rainbows and dinosaurs to Stranger Things, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Disney princesses, you name it – whatever the child is interested in. I even did a German Shepherd-themed party once, so it doesn’t matter. Whatever they are into, we will tweak the package to make it work,” she said.
Shindig Waupaca, Niemuth said, also has a party loft, which is primarily used as a craft space for the kids.
“We always lead with a takeaway activity, like making slime, paintings, jewelry, backpack clips or galaxy jars – anything we can tie into the child’s chosen theme,” she said. “If I don’t have the materials, I get them.”
Nostalgic treats, low prices
Niemuth said Shindig Waupaca offers several nostalgic candies, “like the Reggie Bar, Turkish Taffies and Necco Wafers.”
“There’s been very few people who come in asking for something that I don’t have, or that hasn’t been reinvented into a new candy bar,” she said.
Though some candies are discontinued or hard to find due to supply chain issues, Niemuth said she doesn’t let that deter her from satisfying customers’ requests.
“Things have certainly changed over the years, but I tried to get everything, and when somebody comes in and they’re looking for something and I’m stumped, I’ll search the web to find it,” she said. “Otherwise, I’ll look it up and give them the history on it and why they no longer make it.”
Though Shindig Waupaca started as a space for kids, Niemuth said thanks to the nostalgic candy options, she often sees different generations bonding over a shared love of sweets.
“I have learned a lot about different kinds of candies,” she said. “The older generation does come a lot, and the best is when they bring their grandchildren in, and they explain to them how they used to walk to the general store or the drugstore to buy penny candy.”
Niemuth said candy prices aren’t as low as they used to be due to inflation, but Shindig Waupaca provides candy at a variety of price points.
“We have a whole wall that we call the candy wall, and (though) we can’t charge just a penny, we do have 10-cent jars, 25-cent jars, 50-cent jars and dollar jars,” she said. “Kids can come in with a $1 bill, and they can get 10 or four pieces of candy or two, depending upon what they want to get. We try to make things attainable for the kids.”
Niemuth said the lowest-priced candies are some of Shindig Waupaca’s best sellers.
“When you have lower prices, people come,” she said. “I sell more of the 10- and 25-cent candies than anything else in the store, and it adds up.”
Shindig Waupaca, Niemuth said, also has a handful of toys available at a range of prices, some of which are produced locally.
“The highest priced (toy item) in the store right now is $30 and it’s a 3D printed dragon, which is very cool,” she said. “It’s made by a local artisan in the area – it’s fully articulated from the wings to the body. So, it’s very cool and worth the $30, but most things in the store are $20 or less. There’s tons of toys for $10 or less. So, there’s a lot of things that kids can find across the board.”
Food, games and more
In the summertime, Niemuth said, Shindig Waupaca makes shaved ice, which “is extremely popular.”
“We only serve it from May 1 through September, and then in the wintertime we serve hot chocolate,” she said. “We also always have popcorn, and we make fresh cotton candy in store on Wednesdays and Saturdays.”
Niemuth said Shindig Waupaca also offers an interactive floor projection game system, called BEAM, which is free for kids to use while their parents shop.
“If you were to ask me how it technically works – I could not explain it to you,” she laughed.
“But it interacts with the kids, so they might be stepping on bugs, or jumping on lily pads, or popping balloons or bubbles or playing soccer or football – there’s all different games out there. During the day it rotates through about 200 games, so kids are very occupied by it.”
Niemuth said the shop also has free crafts available up in the loft, which is switched out on a daily basis.
“The games and crafts are always free to support our families who support us,” she said.
Niemuth said the outside of the shop also features a mural that she commissioned Midwestern artist Dory Tischendorf to create last summer.
“I wanted a Candyland theme with butterfly wings that people can pose in front of, and Dory did an excellent job,” she said. “It’s got a big gumball machine that you can stand in front of and take pictures pretending to turn the crank. There’s also a candy arch and there’s gummy bears popping out and hiding everywhere. Then there are two butterfly wings all made out of candy, gumdrops and pixie sticks, which turned out beautiful.”
Niemuth said she also enjoys giving back to the Waupaca community by raffling off free birthday parties and raising money for nonprofits, like Project Backpack.
“We enjoy putting on different raffles where we will sell the tickets and offer a birthday party to the winner for free,” she said. “We do a lot of raffle baskets for local organizations, raising money for a particular family or organization that benefits the area. The last fundraiser we did was for Project Backpack, which feeds kids in Waupaca County and surrounding cities, and we reached our goal of $3,000. I would be more than willing to work with other organizations as well.”
Small Business of the Year
Niemuth’s efforts with Shindig Waupaca were recently recognized by the Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce – which named the candy shop Small Business of the Year at its annual awards ceremony.
“It was a wonderful feeling to be nominated by the chamber to begin with, because the chamber members are all fellow business men and women of Waupaca nominating people,” she said.
Niemuth said she doesn’t know who nominated Shindig Waupaca, but she’s grateful for the consistent community support.
“Somebody nominated me – I have a guess, but I’m not sure who did it,” she said. “The nomination alone felt good and when it came down to it, and we won, that was a truly wonderful feeling. We’ve only been in business for two years, and it’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s definitely worth it.”
For more information on Shindig Waupaca, visit shindigwaupaca.com or check out the shop’s Facebook page.
