The Hodo: What a treat! Have you tried a hodo cookie? Abraham and Sarah Kim have made this Korean cookie their specialty and you can check it out at Hodo Cookies & Chocolate Shop in the City Market. The shop sells a wide variety of chocolate goodies that will be very familiar to locals but the centerpiece of the business is the hodo cookie machine, a factory-looking machine and conveyor belt system that produces the special cookie. A hodo cookie, named for the Korean word for walnut, is a walnut-scented dough stuffed with a sweet red bean paste that makes for a truly luxurious delight. Unlike most sweets though, these are as much about nutrition as anything else. The dough is baked not fried and the red bean paste filling carries many health benefits. Having the cookies made on-site means they have an unmistakably “fresh from the oven” quality. The Hodos are easy on the wallet too – you can grab a dozen hodo cookies for just $4.50, tax included. The Kim’s are hoping their cookies will become a regular snack for City Market shoppers. Hodo Cookies and Chocolate Shop opened in December, 2010.
A NYCE addition for Rothesay Juliet Symonds has just brought some vibrant, cool style to Rothesay with the addition of her clothing store, NYCE Stuff. NYCE Stuff started with a location in Ricky’s Plaza in Saint John on Somerset Street, opened by Juliet and her husband Brian. It presents a funky urban hip hop vibe primarily but features more casual clothing as well, especially in the new Rothesay store, Symonds said. “I have lots of things for young people, but also lots of things for older people that want to look young,” she said with a laugh. “It’s some really nice stuff.” Symonds says she saw too much money being spent on the latest fashions across the border so there was a strong need for a store like hers in the Saint John region, she said. Juliet has a fashion merchandising background but also credits her husband Brian for sourcing much of
the clothing that NYCE Stuff has in stock. Symonds says she already has hopes to continue expanding the number of stores, perhaps eventually opening a location in her hometown of Halifax. NYCE Stuff in Rothesay opened June 13 and Symonds says customers can watch for a grand opening around mid-August. NYCE Stuff can be found online at www.nycestuff.ca.