From Coffee to Candy

This is a post I've been waiting to make and the reason may be more interesting than the result.  You see, for a short while I worked remotely for Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. as a copywriter.  One of my tasks was writing kit instructions, and this kit is "one of mine".  Since I live in California and Walthers' headquarters is in Wisconsin, I was sent pre-production samples in order to assemble them and get a feel for any difficulties or challenges a modeler might have when assembling the kits.

I completed this handsome little building almost exactly one year ago, however the kit wasn't available to purchase until recently so I had to sit on the pictures until then.  Since this structure could easily fit into my 1920's era I decided to complete it and add some interior detail, just for fun.  The multi-pane windows means much of that detail won't be visible, even when lit, but I have left the roof removable - easily done in this kit due to the one-piece roof - so that the interior can be shown to visitors.  

I added a little concrete pad to the rear entrance (not shown) and used it as a place for adding exterior details such as a trash can, bottles, etc.  I'm not sure why it wasn't included in the kit as the door sits high above the foundation otherwise.  My sample didn't come with any signs but I believe the kit does; I chose a few from my stock that work for my interpretation of the structure.  As marketed by Walthers it is a coffee shop, however, it could easily be repurposed for any number of uses.  I chose to make mine a candy shop.  Ocala had one back in the old days called the "Candy Kitchen".  When I get around to making a sign for mine it will be the "Lemon Drop Candy Shop", to help anchor it in Florida.

The interior was made mostly from scratch, with only the sink, chairs, fruit basket and a few cans on the shelves from castings.  I'm most proud of the glass case and the scale on the counter.  The scale is a replica of a "Toledo" type counter scale, a detail I imagined would be useful in a candy shop.  I don't know if they came in red, but I like it and it stands out.  The "tile" floor is made from the interior pattern on a security envelope; I collect these for just this sort of purpose.  The colored plates under the candy in the case are cut from a printed cereal box; they're the color registry circles for the print inks.  The candy is simply construction paper cut into bits.  

Without going into the details, the copywriter position at Walthers was eliminated and we amicably parted ways last summer.  However, during my time there I was sent a small pile of kit samples and no doubt more of these will make their way onto the layout - Lee's Grocery is the next one to be used as the Ensminger building, though I didn't write the instructions for that kit...why I have that kit is a different story for another time.  I'm still debating if the Candy Shop will have a home at Ocala Springs or elsewhere.  I'm just glad I can finally blog about it here.  Thanks for reading.