Old Town Archives - Try Handmade

The DC area is blessed with scores of artists and designers who make beautiful things for your home and your wardrobe, but this week I wanted to focus on food craft. I wanted to find a source for fine, handcrafted edible goodies, and I hit the jackpot not fifteen minutes from where I live: a sweet shop called The Sugar Cube run by sisters Kim and Alyssa Theodore.

Growing up, Kim worked at her hometown chocolate shop, and fell in love with sweets at the tender age of thirteen. It was a love that would never diminish, even as she grew up and pursued a career in academics. Meanwhile, her sister Alyssa enjoyed a successful career in publishing, but had always nurtured a passion for gourmet foods and treats. After she felt she had enjoyed everything a non-foodie career could offer, she thought about turning that weekend fascination for food into something full time.

Both sisters knew that somehow, one day the two of them would turn their love of sweets into some kind of delicious joint venture. The Sugar Cube was born after a combination of strategic planning and serendipitous happenings came together, and the store opened in early 2007 in Old Town, Alexandria.

Right from the beginning, Kim and Alyssa knew they wanted to focus on independent producers of quality sweets. The Sugar Cube is all about chocolates, sweets, and fine confections that are well-made and beautifully presented. Classical approaches to candy making, innovative twists, and unique flavors are all welcome at The Sugar Cube.

Truffles are the most popular chocolate item in the store. The Sugar Cube’s artisan truffles, and all the gourmet confections, come from chocolatiers and candy makers from all over the country, using both traditional and innovative techniques. About twenty-five percent of the chocolate and candy vendors at the Sugar Cube are local, and both Alyssa and Kim are always looking for new talent.

There’s so much more to tempt any sweets-loving customer who wanders into The Sugar Cube. I was immediately drawn to the giant jars housing their custom-colored chocolate milkies. If you bought them at the supermarket, they’d be called M&Ms and would only come in six colors. At this little shop in Old Town, they are made by hand and come in twenty-five colors!

The collection also includes caramel based candies that are made in the store, familiar favorites like Jelly Belly jelly beans, nostalgic sweets like Moon Pies and Necco Wafers, and more than three dozen types of panned chocolates. Nearly anything you might want covered in chocolate is available at the Sugar Cube: almonds, raisins, toffees, gummy bears, and of course, the classic malt ball.

If you time your visit properly, you can take part in the store’s tasting series, which happens every Saturday afternoon. The sessions are free and rarely require reservations, and are used to introduce new products, flavors, or confectioners to customers. Additionally, there’s always a different sweet available for sample every day. When I visited, I had a taste of a white chocolate passion-panna cotta truffle. White chocolate ganache, buttermilk, and passion fruit-vanilla jam: I’m no food critic, but I can tell you that it was absolutely amazing and I’ve never had anything like it!

The Sugar Cube is located in Old Town, Alexandria at 210 North Lee Street. Drop by from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm Tuesdays through Fridays, or 11:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. You’ll have to refrain from handmade sweets on Mondays, I’m afraid. Check their calendar of events to participate in the tasting series.

Season Smith-Wesley began her journey towards becoming a professional maker the way so many have…she started out making jewelry as a hobby. After taking a class on a whim at a local craft store, she found making pretty necklaces to wear to be a great outlet in more than one way. It helped clear her mind and relieve stress after her young son was diagnosed with autism, but it also turned out to be a wonderful way to express her creativity, which didn’t get much attention at her office job.

Season followed the family tradition and went in to the criminal justice field upon completing college. Her father was a sheriff, and her sister was a corrections officer. Although she really enjoyed her job, she had always harbored an interest in fashion, and once she started making jewelry for fun, it quickly became an obsession.

Her family and friends were very impressed with her early efforts, and encouraged her to try and sell her work. Upon giving her handmade jewelry as gifts, she regularly heard that phrase that so many crafters get: the incredulous and impressed “you made this!?”

After several years of this kind of exchange, finally a friend helped create her website and convinced her to sell her work online, and AdAl Jewelry Designs was born. After a year in another location, Season opened her current brick-and-mortar storefront in Alexandria, Virginia in June of 2010. She knew Old Town was the perfect environment for her handmade jewelry. Not only is the neighborhood known for independent shops, but there wasn’t anything quite like her jewelry available there.

Season creates bold, colorful necklaces and bracelets that she acknowledges are not for everyone. Her best customers are ladies who “don’t like to play it safe,” she says. “They want to make a bold statement.”

Every necklace and bracelet from AdAl Jewelry Designs is handmade by Season, and always in limited editions. Many are one-of-a-kind. Preserving the connection between a customer and a unique piece of jewelry is very important to her, and AdAl Jewelry will never be mass produced.

She is inspired by the colors, textures, and details of traditional African clothing. Growing up in her Liberian-American family, she always loved and was attracted to traditional African fabrics, but never wanted to wear them. Now, her jewelry creations are a wonderful way to translate her cultural background into wearable art.

Season loves to do custom work, especially for brides and their attendants. After meeting and talking with a client, Season creates three one-of-a-kind options for the client to choose from. Usually one of those options is exactly what the client asked for, and the other two are slightly wilder alternatives. Season has found that her clients almost always pick one of the alternatives! She finds translating her client’s personal style into unique jewelry to be incredibly rewarding.

Season donates a portion of her proceeds annually to Autism Speaks, a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding the science of autism, and advocacy on behalf of families affected by the condition. She also creates a special line of awareness jewelry every October to raise funds for the cause.

Season’s jewelry can be purchased at her Old Town storefront at 1003 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia and online at www.adaljdesigns.com.