Tiburon candy shop closes after 30 years

Jenny Torres, owner of the Candy Store on Main Street, said she is being forced out by a 61% rent hike and maintenance fees.

A community fixture in downtown Tiburon has closed its doors after nearly three decades.

Jenny Torres, owner of the Candy Store on Main Street, said she is being forced out of 7 Main St. because the owners, A&C Ventures, raised rent by 61%. Renewing the lease would have increased her monthly rent from $3,834 to $6,177 and added other new fees.

“I never thought I would have to be out of here, unless I was old or selling it to someone like me, younger with fresh energy or a family in town,” Torres said.

Torres, 33, grew up in Tiburon and started working part time at the shop when she was 17. While she moved on to other things, she said she could never stay completely away. When she learned the owners were retiring, she was beside herself.

“I would come by every few weeks and months to make sure everything was the same,” Torres said. “I was so sad to hear that. They told me every single person who was looking at buying the store was looking at getting rid of stuff, like getting rid of the ice cream or getting rid of the jelly beans or the chocolate cases.”

A friend encouraged her to ask about the price. The retiring couple gave her a deal — and six months to get a loan. In 2015, at age 24, she bought the store.

When she took over the business, the owners offered a “crash course” in business, urging her to “protect your bottom line” and watch the bills, she said. Torres said A&C Ventures, a real estate investment firm in Sonoma County, told her in December that the rent would be going up.

Torres said the owners also sought a new fee for building improvements and upkeep. An alternative to the fee was a required investment into the building to modernize it, which Torres said would cost at least $15,000 to $20,000.

The building has needed upgrades for a while, including fixes for malfunctioning breakers, a broken door and holes in the roof. Torres said the owners never fixed these issues when she complained.

Torres said the renewal also would have changed her to a triple net lease, an agreement where the tenant pays the expenses like real estate taxes, building insurance, maintenance, rent and utilities.

“I realized if I wanted to stay, I’d have to jump through hoops to convince them I could stay,” Torres said. “At that point, I realized they didn’t want me here and I thought they are probably edging me out for something else.”

Rob Poetsch, a communications consultant for A&C Ventures, said the company will not comment on specific leases or tenants for confidentiality reasons. He said that as leases expire, the firm evaluates market rates in the community and nearby.

He said that in October 2022, the firm announced plans to “reimagine” downtown Tiburon into a top shopping and culinary destination. ACV Argo Tiburon, LP — the parent company of A&C Ventures — has 102,619 square feet over approximately 18 buildings in town, plus two parking lots.

“We appreciate the Candy Store and thank its owners for serving the Tiburon community for many years,” said SG Ellison, chief executive officer and president of A&C Ventures. “We are proud to continue our investment in Tiburon by offering a mix of vibrant retail and office spaces that make a positive impact on small businesses while providing residents and the community at large a great place to live, work and play.”

The store’s closure has sparked public outcry, including a protest on April 21. A fundraising campaign has raised more than $6,000 to help Torres cover costs.

Mickey Hubbell, organizer of the fundraiser, said she has been coming to the store since she moved to the area more than 10 years ago.

“It’s a place I take my children for all of their milestones, like birthdays, first days of school,” Hubbell said. “They’ve grown up with the Candy Store. It deeply affected us as a family and a community when we heard that she was going to shutter.”

Hubbell said about 30 people showed up at the protest to express their sadness about the closure.

“It was so sweet, it made me want to cry,” Torres said.

The online fundraiser will be open for a couple more weeks, Hubbell said.

Torres said the money will help her set up her business once she finds a new location, one she hopes is in Tiburon. For now, she’s selling off equipment to other candy shops, storing what she can and saying a tearful goodbye to the location she has spent so much her life in.

“I get emotional just standing here, like I can’t even look at it, imagine this anywhere else,” Torres said. “But you know, like I’ve said, you have to take the sweet with the sour.”