June 24 - 30, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com
Combination Meals Buy One, Get Second
1/2 PRICE!
with purchase of 2 drinks!
DINE IN OR TAKE OUT. Of equal or lesser value. Not valid with other offers. Lunch or Dinner. Exp. 7/8/2021
DINE IN
s The original C Shop in its first year of opening in 1971 on Birch Bay Drive at the present day location of the Jacobs Landing condominiums.
s Keith, Patricia and Patrick Alesse outside The C Shop at 4825 Alderson Road on June 22.
Courtesy photo
C Shop ... From page 1
candy and concessions. Sons Keith and Burton, three years old and six months old at the time, would be helping their parents run the shop within a couple of years. “1975 is when we have photographic evidence of my parents’ child labor law violations,” Keith said, smiling and pointing to his nametag that reads “C Shop crew member since 1975.” “If it’s a family member, it’s OK,” Patricia retorts. But the two boys didn’t really start working at the shop until 1980, when the café opened. By that time, they had moved the shop to the current location at 4825 Alderson Road. Serving
only bakery items, bread and cinnamon rolls, Patrick said opening the café was one of his regrets because it took him away from candy making. The store, however, continued to grow, and after a year they added take ’n bake pizza, sandwiches and a salad bar to the café menu. Only decades later would they see a need to cut items. Upon reopening this year, after remaining closed to in-person shopping last summer due to the pandemic, the shop is no longer making pizza or sandwiches. The interior has also been rearranged to have separate entrance and exit doors. With summer hours in full swing, The C Shop is open daily from 1 to 8 p.m. Masks are required for customers who aren’t vaccinated.
Photo by Ian Haupt
It’s easy to tell when shopping at the store which chocolates are The C Shop originals because they have yellow labels, while those made by other chocolatiers have a white label. Some of The C Shop original specials include peanut butter yumms, which are white chocolate-covered peanut butter bars, and C-foam, a chocolate-covered combination of brown sugar, honey, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Keith, who is now a co-owner and main candy maker, has a Tupperware full of legal pads, each with its own candy recipe. With notes on every batch he makes, he is always trying to improve the quality of the candy. Reading that people have a tactile response to the crunch in potato chips, Keith has adjusted C-foam over the years to achieve a similar crunch. “Now, when you bite into it, sometimes it sounds like your tooth broke,” he said. Keith runs the day-to-day operations of the shop with his partner Saara Kuure. Patrick and Patricia still live in the adjoined house above the shop and can be
found making candy in the back and interacting with customers. “I really enjoy the other people involved in and around The C Shop,” Keith said. “We get satisfaction from their satisfaction.”
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s Keith Alesse, 7, stirs candy while his brother Burton, 5, watches. The photo is from 1975, when the Alesse boys started helping their parents with the family business. Courtesy photo
A SHOT
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758 Peace Portal Dr. • Downtown Blaine
360-332-4045
www.pasodelnorte.net
2021
Dancing on Broadway July 19-23
Olaf’s FROZEN Adventures July 5-8
Hip Hop Battles July 26-30 Circus Soleil/Acro Aug 2-6
“Welcome to the Jungle” Hip Hop July12-15
$145/week
$140/week
COVID-19 vaccination gives us a chance for health, healing, and recovery.
Find a vaccine provider at: VaccineLocator.doh.wa.gov Make an appointment: Schedule with your healthcare provider or a Vaccine Locator provider. Or call the COVID-19 hotline at: 1-833-VAX-HELP (1-833-829-4357) for assistance.
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OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR LUNCH & DINNER!
SCHOOL AGE 5 AND UP PRESCHOOL 3-5 YRS Gymnastics Skills & Drills Under the Sea July 5-9 July 5-8 Cheer & Tumbling Monster Mash July 12-16 July 12-15 Ready, Set, Olympics! Circus July 19-23 July 19-22 Parkour July 26-30 Superhero July 26-29 Tik-Tok ’n Rock! Dinosaurs & Unicorns Aug 2-6 Aug 2-5 Parkour. Aug 9-13 Ninja Warrior Aug 9-12 $177/week $150/week DANCE CAMPS Preschool 3-5 Yrs School Age 5 Yrs & Up
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OUTSIDE DINING!
TAKE OUT DELIVERY thru Viking Food NOW ORDER ONLINE! bit.ly/pasodelnorte &
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