Dr. Robert Spence is an associate professor of music and director of instrumental studies at Elizabethtown College, but what many people might not know is that when he isn’t making music, he is making candies at his Elizabethtown business, Spence Candies.
It all started in 2000 when he and his wife, Wendie Spence, were living in Indianola, Iowa. “My wife grew up in a candy making environment,” said Spence, whose wife’s parents belonged to an organization that made candy as a fundraiser. “She and I had started it as a hobby, found we were getting pretty good at it and turned that hobby into a small business.”
Spence Candies retail location on East High Street in Elizabethtown
Then, in 2004, Rob and Wendie returned to their home state of Pennsylvania. “It was a true leap of faith,” said Spence. “We literally pulled out the map and said to ourselves, ‘If we could live anywhere in the state where would we want to live?’ ”
E-town made the final list, and they decided it would be a great place to live and relocate the business. “We moved here not knowing anyone,” Spence said. “We took baby steps that first year, slowly getting the word out about the product.”
Spence Candies produces and sells handmade chocolates, caramels and other candy confections at its retail location on East High Street, on campus at the College Store and the Blue Bean Café, and at Wiley Pharmacy stores and S. Clyde Weaver store in East Petersburg. They also partnered with bed-and-breakfast owners and several wineries in the Elizabethtown area.
“We do pretty well at the two on-campus locations, and the College students, faculty and staff often visit us in person at the shop,” said Spence, adding that Elizabethtown College students receive a discount when they purchase anything from the High Street shop.
“My favorite product to sell is our Sea Salt Caramels because of the joy they seem to give to people when they try them,” said Spence. “My favorite product to consume would be our Almond Butter Crunch. It is toffee, coated in milk or dark chocolate, then rolled in crushed almonds. Quite possibly the world’s most perfect food!”
Time management is the key for me to be successful.” –Dr. Rob Spence
Spence tries to avoid any overlap between his two jobs by striving not to physically be needed in both places at the same time. He said that the biggest overlaps he sees are positive ones such as his personal interactions with students and customers. “Being in business and teaching has really helped me develop the human relationship principles championed by the late, great Dale Carnegie.”
Spence also said that that he has a much better understanding and appreciation of how and why our upper level administrators make fiscal decisions. “Make no mistake: Elizabethtown College and higher education is a business. Important decisions are being made continuously for not just the institution’s day-to-day operations but its long term survival. Time management is the key for me to be successful,” said Spence.
“I am awake pretty early in the morning and can get either school work or candy work done before heading to campus. Our house/business is only a half mile from campus so I can walk back to the shop during a break if I need to.”
His favorite part about owning Spence Candies is being in business with his wife. “She is truly the star of the Spence Candies show!” said Spence. “She makes the product and makes the final decisions on most every aspect of the business. It is amazing to watch her. Wendie is the most determined, hardest working person I have ever met. She inspires me to be better at everything I do.”
Spence Candies closes during the warm weather months, but there is a lot to do to prepare for the fall opening of their retail location. “Preparing for opening day means cleaning all the equipment in the kitchen area, cleaning the retail area, painting and sprucing up the outside, ordering supplies and materials, and determining the price points for each individual product. Candy season never really ends anymore!” Spence noted.
“A friend once said about our candy business, ‘You sell smiles!’ I think that remark is the best way to sum up what we do.”
[Hobbies and Hidden Talents is a recurring themed-feature series. Know of someone affiliated with Elizabethtown that does something that you might not guess? Submit a story idea here.]