Welcome to
Caramelot This Dover candy shop transports guests to a world of pure imagination BY BILL BURKE PHOTOS BY KENDAL J. BUSH
T
rying to pin a job description on Chris Guerrette can be a bit of a trick. He’s a business owner, to be sure, but stopping there would be selling him short. Add a few more titles and you may get close: candy fanatic, networker extraordinaire, mad scientist, importer, builder and idea man. As the owner of Lickee’s & Chewy’s Candies & Creamery in Dover, he brings all of those skills together to create a unique experience that acts as a tractor beam for anyone with a sweet tooth. “I always wanted Lickee’s and Chewy’s to be more of an experience for folks when they come to see us,” Guerrette says. “Customers come in and look around with wide eyes — which is exactly what we hoped for. It makes it fun.” Step inside the Dover confectionery shop and discover that Guerrette is part Merlin with a little Willy Wonka and a little Walt Disney swirled in. The one-ofa-kind, fantasy-themed, 5,000-square-foot space in the Cocheco Mills offers a dizzying array of chocolates, truffles, ice cream and shakes, sodas and candy from all over the world. But the first impression, one carefully planned and executed, is that this is no ordinary sweet shop. The first clue: The entire operation is watched over by a dragon named Igor who stands next to a grand black-and-silver throne. Nearly a dozen smaller dragons are stationed throughout the space; a village of faerie houses is tucked here and there, connected by sparkling lights signifying that the inhabitants are visiting one another; a collection of butterflies stretch their wings near the ceiling; a full-size Cinderella carriage sits in the middle of things, and fixtures — some acquired from India — are massive, heavy wooden and iron
nhmagazine.com | May 2021 29
