Ann Peterson snags Pretzel Thingies off a tray, carefully wraps them individually into blue foil, glances upward and smiles.

The owner of Island Treats explains that the popular candies also contain caramel and chocolate and that a plethora of the goodies — which she also enfolds in green foil — will be served in a Lumen Field suite during the Seattle Seahawks’ opener on Sept. 8.

Just over a week before that football contest, Island Treats will be closing its shop on Aug. 30. Peterson opened the bright and cheery store — which features the Candy Kitchen in back where they make the treats — six and a half years ago in the Boyd Building on Southeast 27th Street.

Peterson and her confectionery crew will continue to traverse their candy land road to provide treats to their devoted customers. She said that her daughter and business partner Maddie Scileppi is calling the store closure Island Treats’ “new era” in honor of Taylor Swift.

Business has been good, they’re just making a change in how they operate Island Treats.

“We’re looking for work-life balance,” Peterson said. “We still want to make candy, and we can make the candy that everybody has grown to love. But still being able to spend more time with our families and friends, and just make it a little easier on ourselves. Instead of having a retail location that’s six days a week.”

Four years prior to opening the shop, Peterson operated the business out of her retrofitted garage with a commercial kitchen — and that’s where they’ll return to keep the candy flowing to customers through online sales. Candy lovers will still be able to purchase their favorites at Island Books.

They’ll continue to make Pretzel Thingies, and it they didn’t, Peterson joked that “there would be an uprising.”

Along with other signature goods like chocolate salted caramels, caramallows, Super S’more! and toffee, they’ve experimented with Awesome Sauce of the caramel and chocolate variety, passion fruit and mango guava and filled chocolate bars with nougat, marshmallow, caramel and gianduja, an Italian soft sweet food made from chocolate and hazelnuts. Starting next year, they’ll offer subscription boxes.

“We still can be creative. We can still make the candy that people love,” said Peterson, adding that they’re in the process of renewing their wholesale and e-commerce license and plan to fire up the candy garage kitchen by the start of October.

In addition to Island Treats’ sweet offerings, myriad traditions will continue. The shop’s gumball machine and letters to Santa mailbox will be transported over to Island Books and they’ll remain involved with the chamber of commerce and community activities.

Scileppi is excited to see where Island Treats goes from here.

“I’ve got a little toddler. She’s 18 months. And that was a big driver for me in the decision, is being able to spend more time with her so we can make candy during nap time or let her be a bigger part of it all,” she said.

Employee Jodi McCarthy has been with Island Treats from the outset and will remain on board along with Peterson, Scileppi and possibly a high-schooler and extra helpers during the holiday season.

Mom and daughter said that customers are sad about the shop closure, but they can still purchase and enjoy their candy — just in a different way.

“I think we are all universally so excited for the next phase because it just gives us freedom. Freedom of time, freedom of creativity, not being chained to retail hours,” said Peterson, adding that the business ships nationwide, does corporate orders, wedding favors and more.

Visit Island Treats online at: https://www.islandtreatsnw.com/