Susu’s opens doors to sweet new flavors | Entertainment

Community members, both kids and adults alike, lined the entrance of Susu’s Popcorn and Candy Cafe on April 13 as they unveiled their new fudge and ice cream shop. Susu’s Ice Cream and Fudge complete the already expansive selection of sweets offered downtown. 

Susu’s Popcorn and Candy Cafe was opened in March 2023 selling homemade popcorn flavors, sweets, drinks and candies. After finding success within the community of Nacogdoches, the Susu’s family knew it was time to expand the vision of the shop. 

“I’ve been coming here since my freshman year and I love their popcorn, so I’m very excited that they open a new joint here so then there’s more places to get a little sweet treat for yourself,” Carissa Garcia, an SFA student and junior theater major from Dallas, said. “I’ll love SuSu’s Popcorn therefore I’ll love SuSu’s ice cream.” 

On opening day, the new fudge and ice cream parlor sold 12 different bluebell ice cream flavors and 17 different flavors of homemade fudge with more to come. Additionally, the store boasts small areas for patrons to sit and enjoy the atmosphere and strike up a conversation with the owners.  

“I’ve always wanted to do fudge and ice cream. We ran out of money when we first opened, and fudge is very expensive. We finally got our fudge machine in and we’re super excited as far as ice cream,” Susan Sowards, part owner of the SuSu’s Popcorn and Candy Cafe said. “It’s very popular for popcorn and candy stores to have ice cream, but for me, the smell is not compatible, so I’ve always wanted to have two separate rooms.” 

The original store fronts had been built in the 1890’s and had features that were over 100 years old. The Sowards took on the challenge replacing the electrical wiring of the building while still preserving the original floors, walls, and ceilings. In order to open the new shop, the Sowards would have to start from scratch once again, facing different challenges than their first store.  

“When we walked in … there was this deterioration in the brick, well, long story short, it was a fireplace that had been covered up and so moisture was coming from the bottom up… all of that had to be redone and there was no way we would have known about that,” Sowards said. “It’s a lot of little challenges but it’s also what makes it so incredibly fun and fascinating.” 

Susu’s Popcorn has a dedicated customer base due to the Sowards themselves. The welcoming atmosphere of the store encourages people to come for the community, not the business itself. The business helps organizations in the community through donations, partnering for fundraisers and school field trips. 

“That’s one thing that’s really important to us that everybody is welcome here,” Sowards said. “The growth and the blessings and everything, we had this opportunity and that’s why we’re getting to do it. We have the opportunity to continue to serve our community, and I love seeing people happy.”  

Susan is a part owner of her company alongside her husband, Alan, and her children. The Sowards’ mission to give back to their community isn’t limited through their business. Susan and Alan are both former teachers among other things. Their roots run deep to Nacogdoches back when Alan was student and professor at SFA. They have a love for their community and an even stronger love for their family. 

“I’ve retired from three different things and I’ve realized that it’s not for me. Living my dream here, the joy would be gone if I didn’t have my family. I can tell that I wouldn’t want to do this by myself, and I don’t think Alan would want to either,” Sowards said. “I hope I do this till the day I die.”