Sweetness Follows Kilwins Opening

Janette Desmond moved to Portsmouth in May with a very specific goal in mind.

She wanted to open a Kilwins franchise store on Congress Street so residents and visitors alike could just walk in and get some mouth watering fudge, ice cream or any of the other handmade confections offered here.

Kilwins opened for business on Friday and the staff of 12 full and part time employees are eager to serve the store's delicious homemade fudge, caramel apples and other chocolate treats.

Desmond said that even though the Portsmouth store is one of more than 100 nationwide, it still feels like a very locally owned small business. Desmond grew up in the Manchester area and is proud to be a New Hampshire native.

Kilwins, which is based in Michigan, was founded by Don and Katy Kilwin in 1947 and has 80 franchises nationwide. According to Kilins Web site, the company makes handmade chocolates, fudge and ice cream from "the finest quality traditional down-home confections and ice cream that are kitchen made fresh from premium ingredients and original recipes."

The store has a grand opening planned a few days before the Labor Day Weekend and Desmond hopes that her customers will fall in love with all of the confections they made in house.

The store's hours are: 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday to Saturday. Desmond also said Kilwins will be a year-round ice cream and confections store.