Willy Wonka has nothing on Todd and Lisa Alonzo.
Like Wonka, the Alonzos cater to sweet teeth with Nostalgic Nibbles — a combination sweets and candy dispenser business.
It’s a “mom-and-pop,” Todd says. His wife, Lisa, makes the sweets and he makes his wooden candy dispensers — Gumball George and Gumball Gina.
Their candy is limited to toffee, but other sweets include cakes, cookies, seasoned pretzels, cotton candy, and caramel popcorn. The couple set up a booth three weekends a month at different shows: Hub City Market in Jackson, Tennessee, the first Saturday of the month; Rhodes House in Covington, Tennessee, the second Saturday; and the Southern Flea Market in Memphis the third Saturday. “We’re a sweet treat stop for everybody when they’re walking through,” Todd says.
Lisa is “very creative,” he says. She adds her own touches, like lemon frosting on her strawberry cake and Ghirardelli chocolate chips in her brownies. “We have fun playing with flavors and making up new things,” Lisa says.
Lisa sells cake flights, which, she feels, is one thing that sets them apart. “I sell slices, so, it’s like a sample pack … four main flavors of the month in one package.” She also offers cookie and bread flights.
The couple didn’t envision this type of business when they got married. In fact, Todd says, “She couldn’t boil water in the beginning.” He was one of Lisa’s first cooking teachers. “I’ve always loved to cook. I was the guy who cooked at college for my roommates.”
But Todd doesn’t bake at all. “No. I can’t bake Toll House cookies that come out of the tube. I’m the stove-top cook, things from scratch … but no baking.”
“Cooking came easy,” Lisa says. “I enjoyed it. We entertained a lot, so I’d be cooking for a lot of people.” As for baking, she never stopped after her mom taught her how to make yeast rolls.
Lisa creates different cake flavors every month. For May, she’ll have an “orange creamsicle cake” — orange cake with vanilla icing. “We’re coming into summer. It makes you think of fruits and fun ice cream with the weather getting warm,” she says.
The dispenser was something Todd’s dad began building about 50 years ago. “It’s a little tabletop dispenser. You put candy in the top, turn the nose, and candy comes out. We actually sold them at a number of places,” Todd says. “We lived in Connecticut. We had a summer house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Craft fairs in both locations are ubiquitous.”
Todd has his dad’s templates, which he’s updated, as well as some of the original dispensers. His father named them Gumball George because they have a “face” — a mustache and eyes — on the front. Todd made the Gumball Gina dispensers with lipstick, mascara, and earrings.
Todd, who is retired, told Lisa one day, “I’m thinking about making Gumball George again just to fill the time, keep me busy.” He started selling them at shows. Then Lisa came up with the idea of also selling her sweets. She said, “‘I’m going with you. I could probably make some of my favorites and see how they go … I could make some of your mom’s banana bread.’ It just kind of exploded after that.”
The sweets and dispensers are “very nostalgic when you combine both together,” Todd says. “We set up at our booth as a combined table.” He also sells the dispensers at gumballgeorge.com.
As for those who helped inspire the business, Lisa says her mom is still a supporter. “We lost my mom a little over two years ago,” Todd says. “My dad still lives and loves that I’m making the candy machines. In his apartment, he’s got an old and new Gumball George on the shelf.”
Todd’s dispensers are big sellers at Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. And they’re popular with a particular group of people, he says. “Teachers are a big market for us. They buy them, put them on their desks, and ‘bribe’ the kids with them.”
