Hobbies make good business. Just ask Jim and Carol Zipp, Kevin Sharp and Donna Palmer. They all make a good living based on their personal hobbies. The Zipps own The Fat Robin Wild Bird and Nature Shop in Hamden, Sharp manages the Woodworkers Warehouse in Wallingford, and Palmer owns Sweet Creations in Branford. Chocolate delight As the owner of Sweet Creations LLC in Branford, Palmer moved from Montowese Street to Main Street two months ago, and she said business is picking up. "I was looking for a better location in terms of visibility," Palmer said. "It’s been like night and day. Since we moved, the walk-in traffic has increased significantly." Peer into the window of Sweet Creations and you’ll see a variety of homemade chocolate items such at chocolate covered caramel apples and pretzels. But Palmers’ chocolate popcorn tends to get the most attention. Since she opened the store four years ago, the kernel of the business, 90 percent, has been popcorn. Palmer makes pounds of the popular snack daily to meet the demand. The popcorn is also sold at 12 Tommy K’s stores throughout the state. After 10 years as a medical analyst for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Palmer said she needed to spend more time at home with her son and daughter, ages 7 and 5. She said she’s never attended culinary school and learned to make all the items on her own. "It started out as a hobby," she said. "I did the candies and favors for my own wedding, then I did some fairs, and people were calling me constantly." She said customers like the fact that the candies are made onsite and she can customize just about any order. Palmer runs a one-woman shop, with a part-time delivery person and extra help during the holidays. According to Palmer and the Zipps, customers feel more connected to their niche stores because they know they can get honest information from someone in their community. "A lot of people like items they can’t find anywhere else," said Palmer. "I think people love mom and pop shops." Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at kjohnson@nhregister.com or 789-5748. ©New Haven Register 2006

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Sweet Creations, LLC