We’re often asked how two lawyers came to open a homemade chocolate and ice cream shop.
Our story begins as young, idealistic Yale law students, where we met and hoped to go on to make the world a better place.
Today marks the 23rd Anniversary of Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe and owner Deborah Ann Backes took to social media to announce that the monumental occasion is also the first day of demolition on the soon-to-be new and expanded Sweet Shoppe.
Deb and her husband Mike announced in July that they purchased the building at 409 Main Street - yes, the same building that once housed Mr. Shane's Ice Cream, the recipes that still live on at Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe! It's the circle of homemade sweetness!
Deb said, "Originally built in 1880, the former Jesse Lee parsonage (and former home of Mr. Shane’s) needs a lot of sprucing up! We look forward to working with our architects and builders to renovate and update the building and make it accessible for all. We love Ridgefield and Main Street and are so excited to bring new life to this wonderful building."
Deb and Mike opened Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe in 1998 and the shop has become a destination for homemade chocolate and ice cream, gifts and sweet treats galore.
Congratulations on your anniversary and on the first day of a new chapter at 409 Main!
Two Yale lawyers turned chocolatiers - read about Deb and Mike's SWEET entrepreneurial journey into a Willy Wonka world (courtesy Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe)
But after six years in the New York corporate world we knew we needed a change.
Deborah, inspired by childhood memories of her mother making chocolates in the kitchen, suggested a homemade chocolate shop in Mike’s hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Mike thought she was crazy. Until she took him to a small, homemade chocolate shop in Manhattan.
The store was filled with the delicious aroma of chocolate and there were cases full of freshly made chocolates. Wide-eyed children came in with their families, excited to try those wonderful looking confections.
This was a place that made people happy.
Mike was convinced and so we put the same effort we’d put into learning the law into learning everything we could about chocolate and candy making, determined to make chocolates we would be proud of.
Deborah Ann's opened in September 1998 and few years later we started making our own premium ice cream.
To this day, we’re still learning and experimenting, always with the goal of making the best chocolates and ice cream anywhere.
If you stop by the shop, you can enjoy some of our signature creations like our take on mint chip ice cream, Mint Patty (made with our own homemade mint patties), or our Peanut Butter Crunch chocolate.
Of course we can't ship our ice cream, but we CAN ship the chocolates that helped get us named Best Chocolate Shop in Connecticut by MentalFloss.com.
When we met in law school, we wanted to make the world a better place.
We still do.
Only now, we try to do it every day by bringing a little fun, joy, and deliciousness to our customers!
R