MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Amid widespread devastation from hurricanes Helene and Milton, one hard-hit community is rallying around a beloved local business.
Candy Kitchen in Madeira Beach has been a community fixture for 75 years. During Helene, storm surge swallowed thousands of dollars in inventory and all their equipment. Owner Matthew Giordano estimates they suffered $50,000 in losses.
However, Giordano said the loss is not just monetary.
"It's like an old friend. This is emotional; it's emotional for me; it's an emotional core for a lot of people," Giordano said. "What it really represents is memories for people. For a lot of people, it's four generations coming to us now."
Giordano grew up going to the Candy Kitchen with his family and then worked there for two decades. He took over as co-owner a bit more than two years ago.
"It was kind of the life goal. Little did we know what we'd be in for just a few years later," he said.
He said the devastation from Helene to both his business and home was nearly too much to process. However, he said any hesitation was quickly overpowered by the love he felt, coming in the form of thousands of dollars in donations and words of support from the community.
"I mean, the GoFundMe is great, but my favorite thing has been all the letters," Giordano said. "Our mailbox has been full every day."
He said that community support has buoyed weeks of daily clean-up and renovations.
"I say 'customers,' but customer is the wrong word to use because they're friends at this point, they're literally helping us in here every single day," Giordano said.
He believes this is a full circle moment after decades of serving up joy, the community is now returning the favor when the Candy Kitchen needs it most.
"It has all of that come to fruition. It's amazing."
Thanks to all the generous community support, Giordano said their goal is to be back open by Thanksgiving.
If you'd like to support the Candy Kitchen on Madeira Beach, click here.
The Candy Kitchen has a separate location on Reddington Shores under different ownership. It also suffered damage and is raising money on GoFundMe.