WHAT BEGAN as a flea market habit off a Florida highway has become a thriving Lincoln County candy destination built on faith, family, and hand-bagged goodness.
Kathy and Todd Turner were once sunny Orlando dwellers who knew exactly where to stop before a road trip.
Just off the highway sat a little flea market booth where everything was sold by the quarter pound. Sesame sticks. Peanuts. Yogurt-covered raisins. The kind of place where you could build your own trail mix without having to sift through filler to find the good stuff. Kathy remembers it fondly — the scoops, the brown paper bags, the simple pleasure of choosing exactly what you wanted.
They went back again and again. What they did not know then was that those repeat visits were quietly planting a seed.
In 2006, the Turners moved from Florida to Tennessee and experienced immediate culture shock. They were used to city life — businesses open late, traffic always humming, neighbors who might share a wall but not a name. Middle Tennessee moved at a different pace. Stores closed earlier. People waved. Conversations lasted longer.
They later relocated to Kansas before returning to Tennessee in 2012, this time with a different perspective. What once felt slow now felt steady. What once felt unfamiliar now felt grounding. The differences they had noticed before were exactly what made the community special.
By then, their daughter had begun building a business of her own — a Facebook Live venture in which she opened oyster pearls on camera and sold jewelry to a rapidly growing online audience. The concept took off. Viewers tuned in. Orders rolled in. A following formed.
In 2017, the family decided to bring their ideas together under one roof. They opened a physical store that combined the pearl business with the snack concept Kathy had carried since those Florida flea market days. It was an unusual pairing, but it worked online.
In person, it was a different story.
While the online business boomed, foot traffic inside the physical store lagged.
The Turners kept going. They adjusted. They waited.
Then they moved to the square.
Suddenly, everything flipped. The brick-and-mortar location drew crowds. Lines stretched out the door. Customers came for the nostalgic candy counters stacked with hundreds of bulk items — gummies, chocolates, nuts, trail mix blends — and stayed for the old-fashioned customer service.
Kathy bagged every order by hand.
Service was slower that way, but it was intentional. Customers watched as she scooped, weighed, and twisted each bag closed. The process was part of the charm — and part of the strain.
As business surged, Kathy found herself praying for clarity.
Photography by Brooke Snyder
“God, please show us where the right place is.”
The data pointed toward the state line. About 65% of their customers were driving up from Alabama. Logically, relocating closer to that base made sense.
Emotionally, it did not.
Lincoln County had supported its family and their business. The square had given them visibility and momentum. Leaving did not feel right. For the Turners, business decisions were never just about numbers; they were about roots.
Today, Elk Valley Nuts and Candy Co. reflects that balance — growth without abandoning gratitude. Walking into the store feels like stepping back in time. Candy counters stretch long and bright. Nuts and snacks fill clear bins. Customers order by the bag — a small deviation from what Kathy once did at that Florida booth.
Customer service remains central. Special requests are welcome. Regulars are remembered. Donations support causes that matter to the people who walk through the door. The Turners have built a business model around hospitality as much as product.
Recently, Todd added a new chapter.
He began experimenting with artisan chocolate, teaching himself the craft and refining recipes in small batches. His specialty quickly became oversized chocolate turtles — thick clusters layered with caramel and nuts.
One variety in particular earned a following: the “Jacked Up” turtle, made with nuts soaked in Jack Daniel’s before being enrobed in chocolate.
What began as experimentation multiplied quickly. Demand outpaced expectations. Todd’s natural aptitude for chocolatiering — paired with the customer base Elk Valley Nuts and Candy Co. had already built — propelled the chocolate line into something bigger.
Eventually, it grew into its own sister brand — Color Me Chocolate.
Now stocked in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, the brand ships artisan confections far beyond the Tennessee state line that once seemed like a possible relocation target. What they considered moving toward has come to them instead.
Through each shift — flea-market inspiration, interstate moves, online pivots, square storefront crowds — the throughline has been family partnership.
Kathy and Todd built the business together. Their daughter’s online venture helped anchor the early storefront. Each season brought recalibration, but not retreat.
Elk Valley Nuts and Candy Co. remains rooted in Lincoln County, while Color Me Chocolate expands outward. Both are tied by the same values — quality, hospitality, and a willingness to scoop one bag at a time.
The Turners can be found at elkvalleynuts.com, where the journey that began with sesame sticks and peanuts continues to grow — proof that sometimes the right place is not the one closest to your customer base, but the one where your community already knows your name. GN
