Landon and Ashley Clark are no strangers to slinging sweets as they own a Kilwins franchise in Greenville, S.C., but they’ve headed up the mountain and expanded to Kilwins Highlands after purchasing the long-time fixture at 341 Main Street in Town Square.
“We really like the small town feel here,” said Landon. “Plus, we love the outdoors, fishing, hiking, this place is great.”
Ashley said they discussed purchasing in a larger city but felt Highlands was the best fit for them.
“It’s wonderful, we can really see ourselves making a life here,” she said. “We wanted to move somewhere we could get involved in the community and Highlands seems perfect for that.”
Landon and Ashley Clark, the new owners of Kilwins in Highlands at 341 Main Street in Town Square, are excited to join the community on the Plateau.
The Clarks purchased Kilwins from former owner Jerry Moore who made delectable sweets for the Plateau for over 12 years.
“I’ve definitely let it go into good hands,” said Moore. “It was time to move on and they’re experienced owners who will do a great job.”
The Clarks said one of the major draws to the area was the reputation Moore has established over years of providing tasty treats in the mountains.
“It’s better to buy an existing franchise, especially when it has a good reputation like Jerry has,” said Ashley.
The only immediate changes the Clarks are doing are extending the evening hours from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and now Kilwins is open on Sundays.
“We extended the weekday hours simply because we see people out downtown as the daylight hours grow and we want to be open when people are out,” said Landon. “And the same goes for Sundays – town square is alive and heavily visited on Sundays and we want to be a vibrant part of that.”
The Clarks said they will also change the interior up a bit, but the products will remain the same.
“The product line will not change, and the quality of the products will not change,” said Ashley. “We’re just so excited to be here and can’t wait to get to get to know the community.”
Community involvement is something Moore excels at, whether he’s handing out rubber ducks on July 4 for the Mill Creek Duck Race, coaching a Macon County Rec league basketball team, or grilling up hot dogs at a Rotary of Highlands function at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, he’s regularly on hand to help out a worthy cause.
Moore said he is remaining in Highlands and looks forward to his next opportunity of starting a member-owned credit card processing company, Main Street Payments.
“I’m definitely ready, it’s been fun,” he said. “I’ve met so many people over the years and they’ve let us be a part of the community, and I’m so grateful for that.”
To learn more about Kilwins Highlands click HERE.
Article and photos by Brian O’Shea
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