PHOTO GALLERY: Just Taffy
For Michael Biggs, it was a short leap from industrial maintenance mechanic to taffy-maker.
The Independence man worked for more than 10 years building and repairing machinery at an auto plant when his position became the victim of outsourcing. At 52, he was forced to switch careers – and fast. So, he and his wife, Kelly, opened Just Taffy, at 204 N. Liberty St., on the Independence Square.
The couple owe their newfound career to a combination of his love of all types of machinery and her love of taffy.
“It’s the candy you can play with,” Kelly said. “It’s just like a jelly bean. You can play with the flavors.” Popcorn and banana are her favorites.
Michael has a different reason for loving the business, mainly that he’s a sucker for all types of machinery, especially old models. That’s what first attracted him to taffy-making. He and Kelly, who live in Independence, were vacationing in North Dakota soon after he was laid off from his industrial maintenance mechanic position. The couple frequents a taffy shop near Mount Rushmore during their twice annual sapphire-hunting vacations. Michael always had watched the shop’s old taffy-pulling machine in action.
On a whim, he asked to speak to the owner, who gave him the three-hour short course on taffy-making, even offering advice about entrepreneurship. The owner also offered a list of his suppliers and loaned him his old taffy-pulling machine. The couple purchased the wrapper, which holds one piece at a time, and automatically wraps a white paper twisting at both ends around each piece, before dropping it in a box below.
“You don’t find people like that anymore,” he said of the owner’s helpfulness. “It was meant to be.”
The couple returned to Independence, determined to become taffy-makers. He and Kelly, a former stay-at-home mom, decided to work the business together and opened Just Taffy in November 2006. They used a small inheritance as start-up money and began leasing a 1,000-square-foot space in a building that dates to the early 1900s. In fact, the building still has the old punched-tin ceiling. Michael Biggs renovated the building, creating glass-enclosed cabinets, perfect for viewing the multi-colored candy.
The taffy-pulling machine has become Biggs’ new constant companion. The machine works the taffy, its main function aerating the sweet mixture until it changes color from tan to white. That’s how Biggs knows it’s been sufficiently pulled to form the just-right consistency. Next, Biggs adds one, and sometimes a combination, of the 35 available flavors. Overall, banana is the most popular. Kid favorites are watermelon, root beer and caramel apple, he said.
“Me, I just like it all,” Michael said. “That’s the funny thing about owning a candy store. I can try it all.”
Just Taffy is one of only a few businesses on the Independence Square to have Sunday hours. Business is steady on Sundays with customers who are out for a stroll, catching a flick at the nearby theater or eating at Square Pizza or one of the other square restaurants that have Sunday hours.
“Anytime people are up here, I try to be open just to see if people will walk in,” he said. So far, the strategy is working. Although they’re still waiting for their business to turn a profit, they’re willing to wait until their business celebrates another anniversary before expecting to make money. They lost about $7,000 their first full year in business, but believe they are turning the corner.
“I think for a start-up business, that’s not too bad,” he said. “I’m not planning on getting a profit for at least another year. People are finally starting to notice we’re here.”
They’ve recently launched a new venue, demonstrating their sweet art to small groups, such as day cares, preschools and Scouts. Kelly has begun marketing their sweets to those who frequent area events, such as the annual Strawberry Festival at the Vaile Mansion. For the first time this year, they will open a booth at the Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festi val, over the Labor Day weekend.
“I figure I have nothing to lose,” Michael said. “I might as well try.”
The couple is adding fudge to their sweet mix. They purchased fudge-making machinery from a former Independence Square business, Keepsake Fudge. After about a dozen years, that store went out of business over the winter. Now that he’s mastered taffy-making, it’s time to learn to create something new.
But Michael doesn’t mind. After all, fudge-making uses different machinery.
“I’ll have a whole lot of fun playing with that,” he said of his new toy. “I can’t wait. I can just imagine the colors and flavors you get to mix together.”
