Sweet! Work begins on downtown Kilwins chocolate, fudge, ice cream store

The sweet aroma and taste of a Kilwins chocolate, fudge, toffee, caramel and ice cream shop is on the way to downtown Columbus.

Work has started at the 1230 Broadway storefront that will be home to the confectionery business, according to a city building permit dated Oct. 3. The construction price tag for the 1,426-square-foot space is listed at $150,000, with CM Treats LLC the owner and JL Herndon Construction the contractor.

The owners are Christy and Matthew Moore, according to the Kilwins website, which says the Columbus shop is “coming soon.” This will be only the second Kilwins in Georgia, with the other in Atlantic Station in Atlanta. There are none in Alabama, the site shows, although there are more than 30 in Florida.

Petoskey, Mich.-based Kilwins, which does franchising, has 110 locations in 21 states.

Those who haven’t experienced a Kilwins will be greeted, as they walk through the doors, with a nearly addictive sweet smell and employees greeting them to serve up ice cream and a wide variety of fresh chocolate and fudge. The offerings include tuttles, toffee, truffles, clusters, caramels, creams, salt water taffy chews and nuts.

The stores also chocolate-covered apples, caramel corn, cashew and peanut brittlers, as well as prepared gift baskets, tins and other items.

The Columbus store is locating in the 1200 block of Broadway, with downtown bustling with activity, including the coming debut of Columbus State University’s College of Education and Nursing. That school, which is locating on the former Ledger-Enquirer site, is expected to bring up to 1,800 additional CSU faculty, staff and students to downtown on any given day when it opens in January.

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Sweet! Work begins on downtown Kilwins chocolate, fudge, ice cream store."