NWI Business Ins and Outs: Tethan's Candy & Confections, Next Level Events and Duneland Pottery open

Joseph S. Pete

Tethan's Candy & Confections made a big move to a much larger space in downtown Chesterton.

The candy store specializes in unique, vintage and hard-to-find candy and chocolate. It opened in 2020 on the second floor of The Factory Building that once produced organs, glass and tools and is now home to Chesterton Brewing Co. and Duneland Deli.

Tethan's Candy took over the former Ashley Jewelry by Design building at 221 Broadway Ave. in downtown Chesterton. The store, originally known as Gilbert's Candy and Confections, now has about 2,000 square feet.

"The floor space is significantly bigger," owner Jennifer Gilbert said. "We will have more space for more products. We're putting in a kitchen right on site. Right now we use a commercial kitchen to make everything. We'll be able to make more of the same stuff like chocolate-covered nuts, fruits and pretzels. We'll be able to experiment with more than that."

The candy shop stocks a wide array of craft soda, nostalgic candy and candy it makes in-house.

"It's stuff you wouldn't be able to find other places," she said. "It's kid-friendly. We have toffee, dairy-free chocolate and specialty mints."

One of the top sellers is Crack Corn, a puffed popcorn from Ohio.

"It melts in the mouth," she said.

Tethan's sells Abba-Zabba, Mallo Cup, Bit-O-Honey, Necco Wafers, Turkish Taffy, Valomilk, Zotz Fizz Power Candy, Jujyfruits and all three flavors of Charleston Chew. It has 40 different kinds of root beers, including many regional brands.

"We want it to be a destination," Gilbert said. "We're all about the experience. We're big on samples. You can try a lot of candies here in the store. We have something for everyone. We have candies for adults and what they grew up with, and candies for kids. There's something for everyone. We want to be a family destination."

Gilbert was a journalist who had worked for a candy trade magazine right out of college. She got to see firsthand how candy was made and dreamed of one day opening a candy shop. She and her husband decided to open the candy store three years ago

"We wanted to bring some joy to the community," She said. "We figured candy makes people happy."

The opportunity came up to expand, and the Gilberts decided to take advantage of it. It gets a lot more foot traffic and also is more accessible, being right on street level.

"It's right in the heart of downtown Chesterton," she said. "It's a good location in the heart of the Chesterton European Market. It's where the parades and festivals happen. It really is the center of town. It's a great location. We weren't looking to move but someone called us and asked us to check it out. It's been going very well. It's been busy."

Tethan's Candy & Confections opened in the new space this past Saturday in the midst of the annual Harry Potter Festival of Magic that takes place in Valparaiso and Chesterton.

"A lot of original customers have followed us and were glad to see us expanded, but a lot of new customers are discovering us," she said. "We want to be a staple of the downtown. We want to expand our candies. We want them to have new for people to look forward to."

The store plans to have events like soda tastings and candy samplings.

"It's a place to find things that are new and to be able to sample old favorites," she said. "It's a place to come for the experience, to make memories and have fun."

For more information, call (219) 552-2639 or visit https://tethanscandy.com.

Next Level Events Banquet Hall and Decor opened in Merrillville.

The 7,500-square-foot banquet hall is located at 5416 Broadway in Merrillville. It can be rented out for birthday parties, weddings, business meetings, luncheons and other events. It has three different rooms to rent and also offers catering.

For more information, call 219-232-8747 or email [email protected].

Artist David Arreola opened Duenland Pottery in Chesterton.

The studio and retail shop at 500 Broadway Ave. offers classes, studio time for potters and a selection of pottery for sale. Potters can come in between Tuesday and Saturday and work on their clay projects independently.

Arreola teaches workshops on Mondays based on different themes and focuses. He throws pottery on the wheel with intermediate potters the other nights of the week. Duneland Pottery also has trimmed, bisque-fired pots ready to glaze.

"It's community-based. It's about strengthening the community as a whole," he said.

Duneland Pottery joined the Chesterton Art District and welcomes visitors from 5 to 8 p.m. on Third Fridays. It's also exhibited the work of other local artists.

"The clay community in Northwest Indiana is the most collaborative and intuitive group of artists I have met in my artistic career," he said. "Most of us potters don't refer to each other as competition but as artists on our own individual journey. We share the thrills of our victories and even our most notable fails. And that's where our collaboration and community come from."

Arreola started out as a painter at Indiana University Northwest. He was in the final stretch of completing his degree when his guidance counselor pointed out he had taken classes in digital art, photography, drawing, painting and virtually every medium except for ceramics.

"I gave it a shot," he said. "I didn't have a whole lot of expectations. I saw it as playing with clay. I saw the instructor throwing in the wheel and I stuck around watching him throw a huge pot on the wheel. Everyone talks about seeing videos the first time but it's something else to experience it in person. I knew I wanted to do work there. In a couple of weeks, I fell in love with the process. With painting, I'm my own worst critic. I want every color to be right and total precision. I'm always so self-critical. But with the wheel, it's a little more forgiving. You can keep moving forward."

Arreola continued to work with clay after graduating. He had a home studio in a garage but it got expensive. He had trouble finding open studio times at ceramics studios so sought to start his own place.

"There's workshops but nothing if you're already established," he said. "I wanted an open studio similar to what I had when I was enrolled. I wanted a shared workspace for the clay community where you can bounce ideas off each other and work on throwing projects and different glazes together. It's pretty cool to be able to collaborate together."

Local potters need somewhere to work, he said.

"You can invest in pottery equipment but it's large and not very mobile," he said. "It will end up tucked into a corner and neglected. Kilns where you do the glazes are super expensive."

He seized the opportunity to buy a local ceramics studio that was up for sale.

"I love that when I'm working on the wheel whatever I make becomes a functional bowl or plate or mug," he said. "I make a lot of bottles and functional things, which is gratifying. I make functional pieces people use every day, such as making mugs people use to drink coffee or tea every day."

Lately, he's been making a lot of plates and platters. He experiments with combinations pieces such as sponge holders with soap dispensers.

"I get ideas for a new design or new form that might be unique or stand out," Arreola said. "But I'm still making my vases people can put a cork or stopper in to fill with wine or olive oil or use as vases."

The retail section sells his handmade pieces like mugs, cups, vases, bowls and platters often with nature-inspired designs like flowers, ferns, dandelions or mushrooms. He also does commissions and displays his paintings, which he accepts offers on.

"People are getting back in the habit of getting something thoughtful and handmade instead of something on the $10 shelf at the drugstore," he said. "It's handmade, not something from a big box store."

He also teaches classes of up to six students. He wants to keep it intimate so students won't be too intimidated to ask questions and work directly with the potter.

"You get more one-on-one time," he said. "It's not like a university studio filled with 33 people. It's a new hobby you can try out while getting some professional guidance. It's something new to do, something creative. People need to be creative. It's what makes us human."

Many people are drawn to pottery because they see it in a movie, a Reel video, a YouTube video or somewhere else on social media, he said.

"It's one of those functional arts and crafts that people have seen but have never been able to put their hands on it," he said. "It's something people have always wanted to do. It's a bucket list item. It's artistic expression, a hobby, a personal pleasure and something you can do to make your own pieces of functional work or for art displays. You feel everything you make is going to go to somebody as a gift."

He's looking to reach more students and get his pieces stocked at more shops in downtown Chesterton.

"Pottery gives you a creative freedom of artistic expression," he said. "You can make something you're going to be proud of, something you're going to use, give it to a loved one or sell."

Duneland Pottery is open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, visit dunelandpottery.com, email [email protected] or find the business on Instagram or Facebook.

The Region is of course swimming in Chicago-style deep dish, but the trendy Detroit-style deep dish is less common outside of the approximately 40 billion Little Caesars in Northwest Indiana.

A Detroit chain is going to bring the square-cut Detroit-style deep dish that was allegedly first baked in a tin from an automotive factory and that's a staple at places like Buddy's Pizza, Belle Isle Pizza and Detroit Style Pizza Company.

Jet's Pizza, which sells its trademarked eight-corner pizza as well as traditional round pizzas, is coming to the Tri-Town. The suburban Detroit-based chain is moving to 332 Indianapolis Boulevard in the Shoppes on the Boulevard.

It's taking over the former Tzatziki Greek Street Food location. It was the only vacant space in a strip center that's also home to McAlister's Deli and Sport Clips.

Jet's Pizza's only other Northwest Indiana location is at 1613 E. 37th Ave. in Hobart, which opened earlier this year.

The pizza chain plans to start construction immediately and open within a few months.

“I’m excited to see Jet’s Pizza coming into Schererville," said Brett McDermott of Latitude Commercial, a leading commercial real estate firm that represented the landlord in the transaction. “The unit was already built-out as a restaurant, so the franchisee is able to utilize some of the infrastructure in place. They will be a great tenant for the center and the community will really enjoy their Detroit-style pizza."

Founded in 1978 in Sterling Heights, Michigan, it has since expanded to more than 400 locations in 21 states, bringing in $500 million in revenue last year. In addition to its signature Detroit-style deep dish, it also has hand- tossed, thin crust and New York City-style pizzas, as well as cauliflower and gluten-free crusts. Flavors include BLT, BBQ chicken, Aloha BBQ chicken, bacon chicken ranch and Hawaiian.

Crown Point Toys and Collectibles has been planning to move from downtown Crown Point to a bigger space with more parking.

The retro toy store closed on a deal acquiring 1191 E. Summit St. in Crown Point. It is growing from a 1,800-square-foot space across from the Crown Point Community Library just north of the Old Lake County Courthouse Square to a 4,000-square-foot space north of downtown, which will allow it to expand its operations and inventory.

Crown Point Toys & Collectibles opened at 103 N. Main St. in downtown Crown Point in 2020.

The toy reseller has seen growing demand for its nostalgic products, including many toy lines from the 1980s and 1990s. It caters as much to adults as to kids with vintage brands like Marvel, Star Wars, He-Man, G.I. Joe and Funko Pop!

It will move about a half mile north. Owner Tom Waddell said the store will have more space and a larger back area so it will be able to better organize its inventory and increase its selection of products like Funko Pop!, comic books and video games.

Crown Point-based Latitude Commercial represented the buyer while Joel Henderson of McColly Bennett represented the seller.

“The buyer had been searching for a larger location in Crown Point for quite some time. Upon spotting a ‘For Lease’ sign during a drive, I immediately contacted Joel to explore the possibility of a purchase," McDermott said. "Two weeks later, we were under contract, paving the way for CP Toys to find their perfect new home.”

The vegan restaurant Cuané is now cooking plant-based cuisine in Michigan City.

Billing itself as Michigan City's first vegan restaurant, Cuané at 1601 E. Michigan Blvd. specializes in American-style vegan comfort food such as burgers, shakes and desserts. It aims "to combat the inaccessibility of delicious vegan food options."

Restaurant owner DaWanna McCray grew up in Michigan City and went vegan in 2017. She would go out with her friends to friends and find little on the menu for her other than salads.

"Times have gotten better over the years," he said. "But after there was nothing for me to eat I thought why keep complaining and that I should build something to fill that void. This is coming out of that void. It's a void for me personally and there are no other vegan restaurants in Michigan City. Lots of people travel to Chicago."

She named the restaurant after her mother who she lost to cancer and her brother who she lost to gun violence.

The menu includes many vegan versions of cuisine carnivores love. It for instance has a cheeseburger and double cheeseburger with Beyond Burger plant-based patties designed to taste and bleed like ground beef, as well as vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard and vegan mayo.

The restaurant also serves vegan versions of the chicken sandwich, the Chicago hot dog, the New York hot dog and the American hot dog, as well as a Beyond sausage with caramelized onions and Cuané sauce. Sides include French fries and salads.

One can have vegan cookies or cupcakes for dessert and wash down the food with lemonade, coffee or vegan milkshakes.

"I wanted a fully vegan restaurant where people felt they were going to a barbecue," she said. "I wanted people to be able to go out and get what they would typically eat, like hot dogs at a ballgame."

It seats about 20 diners. She hopes to expand the menu and eventually add new locations.

"I'd like to expand to different cities that don't have a vegan restaurant in the area," she said.

The Michigan City Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the restaurant from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 11. The restaurant will offer 10% off that day.

Focusing on lunch and breakfast, the restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For more information, call 219-210-3282 or visit cuane.com.

Boba Tea and Coffee opened at 8317 Calumet Ave. in Munster, serving up the trendy bubble tea that's long been popular in Asia and has caught on in the United States.

It offers bubble tea in a variety of flavors including green tea, oolong tea, black tea, matcha tea and fresh fruit tea. The menu also includes rolled ice cream, coffee, frappes, yogurt, fresh milk and milk tea.

Ice cream flavors include Nutella, Banana, Oreo, Fruit Lover and Summer Tango. Teas include Strawberry Oolong Tea, Crush Peach Black Tea, Peach Orange Lemongrass Black Tea, Tropical Fruit Green Tea, Tropical Fruit Oolong Tea, Honeydew Green Apple Oolong Tea, Grapefruit Jasmine Green Tea, Navel Orange Jasmine Green Tea, Kiwi Jasmine Green Tea, Happy Tea, Lychee Black Tea and Pomegranate Black Tea.

Owner Bach “Andy” Pham bought the 10,000-square-foot building and opened The Boba Tea Cafe, B Nail Lounge and Viet-Ship. The latter allows people to go into the Boba Tea Cafe and ship money or packages to Vietnam.

For more information, call 219-999-7997.

Chase Bank is closing its branch in Lake Station.

The New York City-based bank will close its office at 3115 Central Ave. in Lake Station on Aug. 15.

Chase Bank has long had a large presence in the Region after acquiring Bank One, which had previously acquired Gainer Bank, which was long known as Gary National Bank before it moved its headquarters to Merrillville. It was once the largest bank by market share in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties but was surpassed by Centier Bank after closing several branches.

It's been shrinking its footprint nationwide along with many other banks in response to the migration to online and digital banking.

Orthopedic and Balance Therapy Specialists  just celebrated a grand opening for its new location at 1431 S. Lakepark Ave. in Hobart.

The chain, which has been named to The Times Best in the Region list for four years running, also has locations in Highland, LaPorte, Valparaiso and Crown Point. It aims to grow to 50 locations by 2026.

It specializes in treating pain, injury and discomfort, helping with healing and pain relief.

 For more information, visit orthopedicandbalancetherapy.com or call 219-945-3269.

Harvey Furniture Plus at 16330 Halsted St. in south suburban Harvey signed up as a U-Haul dealer.

It will now offer customers U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, support rental items and in-store pickup for boxes. One of the largest moving services in the country, U-Haul has a network of 21,000 dealers.

NWI Business Ins and Outs: Mi Tierra closing after 22 years; La Carreta, Flako's Tacos, Wendy's, Bulldog Ale House, WhoaZone, The Love of Arts…

If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email [email protected].

Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Business Reporter

Video provided in partnership with The Times, JEDtv and WJOB. Sponsored by Strack & Van Til.