By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
A Great Bend candy store is hoping the dream of spreading sweetness to
the community will continue, but new owners will be needed to do so.
Owner Skylar Meeker of Sweet Dreams Candy Shop in downtown Great Bend announced plans to close the shop by the end of the year unless a buyer is
interested in purchasing all the assets, obtaining necessary licensing and
reopening the store.
"We've seen the joy and happiness the shop brings people," said Meeker. "The last thing we want to do is close the doors. We feel we've been a great asset to Great Bend. Our hope is to sell. We know everything won't be the exact same but our hopes and dreams can carry on in our community. It was always a childhood dream of mine to own this place."
Sweet Dreams opened in October 2019 on Lakin Avenue, but outgrew their space and moved to 1403 Main Street in May 2021. The business has continued to grow with a loyal customer base, but life snuck up on Meeker and her family.
With three children, Meeker’s oldest child was diagnosed with epilepsy a couple
of years ago. Although her son is getting better, the family is still battling
medical issues after a long stint in the hospital.
"We made a switch to a medication that he was severely allergic to," said Meeker. "He developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome and he ended up with the more severe version, with an overlap of DRESS syndrome. The allergic reaction was attacking his body. It essentially burns you from the inside out. A lot of times you have flu-like symptoms and develop blisters."
The Meeker family is still heading back and forth from Kansas City for treatment. Last year, her son spent two weeks in a hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) and two and a half weeks on the floor where he developed severe pancreatitis.
"Physicians told us the next three years are the most crucial where a variety of illnesses or autoimmune disorders can arise," said Meeker. "He's still very closely followed by specialists in Kansas City. He's had some new health issues arise. We're just trying to get some diagnosis so he can live a normal life."
Meeker added there has already been local interest from business owners to
purchase the candy shop. If no deal can be reached, Sweet Dreams will begin liquidating
items in November with a plan to fully close just before Christmas.
