My Biz: A new career that’s proved a treat

Monique Holtkamp's 'other” job led her to Sweets and Treats.

'As a Realtor, I get to see what comes on the market,” Holtkamp said one day last week. 'That's how I found this place - watching the market.”

Holtkamp, 40, bought Sweets and Treats when its founder retired in 2010.

'I've always loved candy,” she said. 'My dad had a small business and I'd grown up with that (in Burlington), so I always had in my head to have a small business. I hadn't thought about having a candy shop, but it was one of those things where the stars aligned.”

The purchase included the previous owner's candy recipes and, she learned, a fair amount of customer goodwill. The store opened across Clinton Street in 1983, moving to the mall two years later.

'After I bought it, I heard from so many people who were grateful that it was going to continue on because they just thought it was going to become history,” she said. 'I felt like I was buying a little piece of Iowa City.”

But continuing the tradition called for some changes.

'It was at a place, though, where I had to look at it and see if I could kind of revive it,” she said.

Holtkamp started accepting credit and debit cards, developing new products and seeking out more hard-to-get items.

'I looked at the amazing things they had, like the chocolate-covered gummie bears and the turtles,” she said. 'I kept the things that made it amazing, but then I added. I tried to make it even more of an experience for people.”

That includes a selection of treats from Asia and Europe that's proved popular with Iowa City's international residents.

'We get people that come in and almost cry when they see some of the things we have because they can't find it in the States,” Holtkamp said. 'It's nice to be a connection for peoples' homeland and their family.”

Another market: customers with dietary restrictions or preferences.

'One of the things I added was allergy-free chocolate,” she said. 'It's really hard to find. ...

Kind of a happy byproduct of that is it's a vegan chocolate which is really hard to find.”

The extra effort pays off in customer loyalty.

'People are so generous, coming to the shop and (finding) here's a thing that we carry that you can find in a lot of different places. People will come here and buy it from me and that helps me stay in business,” she said.

Holtkamp found previous experience can pay off in surprising ways when launching a second career.

'It's kind of the New Age credo - follow your passion,” she said. 'A lot of times when people are retiring or thinking of shifting gears, that's what they tend to do. But the one thing that surprised me is how much that desk job helps you be able to do something like this.”

In Holtkamp's case, a previous job as a hotel manager 'taught me customer service and the ins and outs of making reports and stuff like that,” she said. 'Now I can use it for myself. So your history can really help you do something like this.”

Her pastime as an enthusiastic amateur cook helped when it came to learning the recipes for candies made in-house.

'I'm pretty particular about that kind of stuff, and my history of baking helped me continue with that,” she said. 'You want consistency and integrity in everything you sell.”

That's paid off with Peoples' Choice awards two years in a row in the Iowa City Downtown District's Top Chef: Downtown.

AT A GLANCE

Owner: Monique Holtkamp

Business: Sweets and Treats

Address: Old Capitol Town Center Mall, Iowa City

Phone: (319) 337-6361

Website: https://ictreats.com

l Know a business that's been around for more than a year that would make an intriguing 'My Biz”? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com