By By MARCIA STEFFENS / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A longing to remember their school days brought many to the grand opening of the Paris Soda Shop Thursday.
"It looks smaller and brighter," said Carole (Johnson) Mobus. She was still visiting Niles from Ohio, after attending the Union Church open house in June.
1957 graduates of Niles High School, she and her friend Fay (Fergison) Davis recalled the former Paris Candy Shop.
"We would walk over during lunch hour, when the school was where the high rise now sits. We would walk here or Veni's."
Don and Verna Carpenter were "glad to have it back." Don, a '49 graduate, said he came for "the girls … and the ice cream." He had carved his initials in the old Paris booths, which unfortunately had been sold long ago.
His wife's name had been carved in a table by some boy, back in their school days.
Ted Majerek, remembering the building's smell of candy and hot chocolate, said the new downtown business "should do real well here."
A '94 graduate, Shannon (Gombosi) Brown, said her grandparents brought her there when she was very small. "This is just what Niles needed. It will bring a lot of people downtown."
Her co-worker, Leitha (DeForest) Ballge, Four Flags Area Chamber members from Huntington Bank also attended the grand opening. She was excited to bring her kids to a soda shop.
Thursday one customer's feet didn't touch the floor, as she sat on the stool at the soda bar, eating her ice cream cone.
Hannah Hawkins would walk by the shop with her dad every day, said her mom, Cathy. One day she left the owner a letter pleading for the shop to open, so she could have ice cream.
Owner Elaine Tughan actually visited their home to let the little girl know when she could come for her cone.
"I never had children and I opened an ice cream shop," she added, enjoying the faces of those swinging their legs on the bar stools.
She plans on displaying a slide show on a monitor in the shop of children eating ice cream. "I have cute ones already," she said. She is also putting up a chalkboard for the adults to add comments or memories.
Booths, as were in the original Paris Candy Shop will also be added.
Tughan met her husband, Victor Swanson, an electrician, at the Portage Baptist Church in Niles and were married last August.
He is excited to be "working together with someone and building something."
When they started on the building last summer, which had mainly been abandoned for years, but most recently used by the homeschool hub.
The walls had been plaster when it was Paris Candy, later paneling. Now the original brick shows through and the original tin ceiling has been "dipped in chocolate."
The original tile floor had also been recovered, after the carpeting, that had been glued on, was removed.
"It's a miracle," said Ron Sather, Four Flags Area Chamber CEO, commenting on the restoration of the ceiling. "She and her husband have done so much work in here.
"They will be continually adding to the decor, as they find things," he added.
"Have you been to Paris lately?" is printed on the backs of the six part-time employees, who were kept busy making sundaes and dishing up Sherman Ice Cream.
"We researched ice cream," said Tughan. They have been very happy with the company from South Haven, mentioning the president even drove over an emergency order.
Victor commented on all those who have stopped in telling about being former employees, one having worked there for 40 years and said she was 14 when she worked there – 40 years ago.
Presently the Paris Shop is selling sodas, sundaes, cones and drinks. When soup and sandwiches are added, hopefully in the near future, they will probably add more employees, Tughan said.
"All the city officials were great, the building inspector, Larry Lamb, Niles Fire Chief … all were very helpful," Tughan added. "Lisa Croteau held our hands and gave us hugs."
She inspired them with the line, "if you build it they will come."
Croteau, manning the popcorn machine, added on all their hard work, "I hope you think it was worth it – I sure do."
Elaine Tughan, originally from Livonia, had been a representative for a designer fabric distributor, Fabric Cut, serving all of Michigan, including Elizabeth Bradford, on Main Street in Niles.
"I lived in California for eight years and two in Europe."
While working in Michigan, with a base near Detroit, "I lived in hotels." she said.
Soon Niles became her adopted town.
"I stayed here as much as I could. I came in for holidays and poured wine for the Hunter Ice Festival. I felt my feet were planted here. I liked the community," she added. "I'm here for life."
Eventually the couple will live above the shop. Tughan's parents, Keith and Emily Tughan, from near Manistee, were on hand to help their daughter celebrate the opening.
The new soda shop in downtown Niles is in the former Paris Candy store at 220 E. Main St. Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, 4 to 11 p.m. They plan to keep the shop open year-round.