Community Insider: Salt Light Productions seeks to be more than a retail spot
By Chad Frey
Newton Kansan
Alllison Schumm of Newton opened her business, Salt Light Productions, in the Cedar Village Shopping Center about two years ago with some recipes and a dream of building a community.
She’s worked hard expanding her recipe box, and building a small community in the storefront located at 1011 Washington Road.
She discovered freeze dried candy at a farmers market in Manhattan and once tasting it knew she had to figure out how to make it.
“I had never had it before and thought it was the coolest thing,” Schumm said. “I started looking at freeze dryers and I mentioned to my best friend in Topeka. … she went out and bought a freeze dryer, and did it when I did not have the money to start a business.”
She eventually would start her own business. Schumm signed up her business as a Community Insider this week, seeing a way that two Newton businesses can help each other.
“I am always interested in adding value for my customers and who I serve,” Schumm said.
She created a perk for Kansan subscribers that will feature a monthly exclusive candy flavor.
When her family moved to Newton, Schumm and her husband bought a house and spent a few years making repairs before flipping it.
The flip provided her with the funds needed to start her own business.
“It snowballed from there,” Schumm said. “It started with freeze dried candy. I have a love for natural products and herbs. I came across a guy who does 3-D printing and thought that was cool. We have added as we’ve gone.”
The shop contains consignments for area vendors who sell boutique clothing, art and 3-D printed items.
Within the shop a knitting club meets every Thursday, and a small chess club meets twice a week. There’s also a room full of board games waiting for a club to form to try them out.
“I am in talks with three or four other people about starting a ladies club and I have one lady that wants to start a Bible study,” Schumm said. “We have lots of ideas floating around. We just need to establish groups that we want to meet here. … We can do almost anything, crafts, game night or a place for people to come hang out.”
The tagline of her shop, which features homemade freeze-dried candy, is “where freeze dried candy meets community.”
“I really want to be a light to the community,” Schumm said. “… I like people and want to be able to add to the community and what the community wants to see.”
She is also a published author, having penned– Loving Loss Facing Fear. Written after a loss, the book chronicles the beginning of her healing journey and readers through a 46 day healing journey of their own.