Shop established as way to ‘keep part of her alive.’
After 22 years serving in the military, Nikkia Patterson returned home and started to put her creative mind and ambition to work, all the while honoring the woman who inspired her to embrace it.
Thus Katherine’s Sweet Shoppe was born in Destrehan, the first part of the name honoring her mother who passed away in 2012, and the second part alluding to more than just the tasty treats one might find in the candy store.
“We offer things that are sweet, but that also smell sweet,” Patterson said. “This is something that, when I came home, it just hit my spirit to do. My grandmother had a sweet shop, and my mother took it over as a convenience store. So this is going back to our roots a little bit.”
That convenience store, Scott’s Grocery, is still going strong in Killona and primarily run by Patterson’s brother and sister, though she also assists.
That store was where her mother, Katherine Scott Isaac, became known for her generosity and love of community, particularly its youth.
“She had the only convenience store in the area and for those people who didn’t have a vehicle to get anywhere, it was accessible and she’d help supply things,” Patterson said. “She contributed to different community services and different projects … the kids were her soft spot. She saw them grow up from when they were babies and she wanted to play a positive role for them.”
Patterson said Katherine was a role model for her as a female entrepreneur, something playing out with the establishment of her store today.
[pullquote]“I feel like my life’s come full circle.” – Nikkia Patterson[/pullquote]“She showed people there’s more you can do in life,” Patterson said. “(Through the grocery and the shop), we try to keep that part of her alive, but also through our own creativity. It’s really in all of our DNA.”
Perhaps fittingly, Katherine’s Sweet Shoppe opened Dec. 14, the anniversary of when the siblings lost their mother.
“We didn’t plan it, but it happened that way,” Patterson said.
So far, she said the response has been positive at her new shop, located at 124 Longview Drive in Destrehan. She noted the shop’s candies include some of the “old school” variety that aren’t available everywhere, like pop rocks, sour patch, pixy stix and Now & Laters.
But you can also grab a coffee, buy candles and lotions, try some homemade baked goods and pick out a gift basket for a special occasion—though Valentine’s Day has passed, Easter is on deck.
It’s an exciting venture for someone who is thrilled to be back home, with both of her children and three grandchildren calling the community home, along with her siblings.
“You can’t ask for more than that,” she said. “I moved back home to be closer with my family. It’s really been great … I feel like my life’s come full circle.”
Sweet … or sour?
- The most popular candy in Louisiana? According to the tracking website CandyStore.com, Lemonheads reign supreme at 108,025 pounds of them ordered over the last year recorded.
- They’re followed by Reese’s Cups (85,166 pounds) and Blow Pops (36,927 pounds).
- Louisiana is the only state where Lemonheads tops the list.
Be the first to comment