When Paige Powell and her family moved to Dripping Springs 11 years ago, she arrived with a dream of land, farming, and homesteading.
She found the perfect spot off Hamilton Pool Road to bring her vision to life. It wasn’t a farm yet—just land and a small house—but it was full of possibility.
Along with her husband Corry Reiling and their three children, Brooklyn, Brax, and Beckett, she built a working homestead from the ground up. What started with a few chickens evolved into raising turkeys, pigs, cows, chickens, and even honeybees. They sold meat, eggs, milk, and cheese, learning and growing as they went.
For years, the farm buzzed along, becoming the center of their family, especially during difficult seasons. It provided a safe haven when Beckett, then 4, was diagnosed, treated, and healed from a brain tumor. “That was a big journey to go through,” Paige says. “And the farm was such a place of peace for us through all of that.”
But in 2023, everything shifted when the family faced a devastating loss. At just 44 years old, Corry was diagnosed with late-stage cancer and passed away a few months later.
In the wake of that tragedy, Paige made the difficult decision to step away from the farm she had built and loved. Managing the land and animals on her own while raising three active kids was no longer sustainable, so she sold the animals and moved closer to town and her children’s schools and sports.
As time passed and Paige moved through her grief, she felt a pull toward something new. “I needed to do something with my time,” she remembers. “I knew I wanted to find something to do for myself again.”
Through sleepless nights, Paige often found herself scrolling, and social media drew her toward viral videos of colorful candy mixes—big bowls of bright gummy candy being layered and packaged. The idea stuck: “Corry loved candy,” she says. “I’ve never met a man who loved candy more than him.”
Paige and her best friend Marianne Gibson began experimenting at home with candy creations, adding their own twist by stacking gummies, marshmallows, and other chewy sweets on a skewer. “We just started playing around with it, and it was adorable,” she says.
What started at the kitchen table quickly expanded as they designed customized kabobs for different holidays and themes. “It really grew organically,” she says. “We put it out in the world and it just took off.” Today, their candy kabobs—available in an endless array of colors and creative motifs—are shipped all over the country.
As the business grew, candy began to fill their homes. “It was crazy—the candy was everywhere,” she says. To accommodate the chaos, the friends-turned-business-partners found a cozy house off Old Fitzhugh Road with enough space for both production and a storefront. That’s where Southern Sweets Candy Co. came to life in June 2025.
Bright and full of whimsy, the shop is packed with candy in every color of the rainbow. Shelves are lined with jars and bins of goodies, from nostalgic favorites to hard-to-find treats, alongside freeze-dried pickles, cheesecake bites, trending Swedish sweets like Bubs, and of course their signature candy kabobs. To add to the fun, Southern Sweets also sells balloons and popular “dirty sodas.”
Beyond the sweets, the shop has become a gathering place, offering party packages and hosting story times, arts and crafts, and pizza nights. “A big goal of opening the shop was to be community-driven and community-focused,” Paige says. In this spirit, she looks for ways to give back to Dripping Springs, providing kabobs for school fundraisers and candy coupons for teachers to reward their students.
For Paige, the business fits into her life in a way few jobs could. As a single mom with three busy kids, Southern Sweets allows her to balance school schedules, sports, and daily life while building something of her own. Plus, her kids love bringing friends to the shop, and Brooklyn works there during the summers, making it a true family affair.
Beginning something new after losing so much wasn’t easy for Paige, but her willingness to take risks made it possible. “I don’t have a fear of failure; not trying is failure,” she says. “I think being vulnerable is a superpower. I’m not afraid to try.”
Her other superpower is motherhood. “Being a mom has taught me how to be resilient; it’s taught me strength; it’s taught me how to pivot,” she says. Through her example, Paige hopes her children see how to show up for people, work hard, and move forward with courage.
Just as importantly, the children have watched their mom navigate her journey of love and loss with perspective. “What really matters in the end are the relationships you form with your people,” Paige shares. “When you’re walking someone to heaven, or when you’re getting walked to heaven, you just want your people there. That’s it.”
Looking back, Paige recognizes how much she has changed through heartbreak and healing. “I wish nobody had to go through this, but through the things I’ve learned and the ways I’ve grown because of the grief and trauma—and how I’ve continued to go on—I’m a much better version of myself than I was before this happened to us.”
It’s wisdom she shares openly, knowing others will face their own turning points. “Take it one day at a time,” she says. “If you’re having a bad day today, that doesn’t mean tomorrow will be a bad day.”
And when it comes to starting over, her advice is simple: “Don’t be afraid to go for it. Don’t be afraid to fall down. If you do, it’s okay. Show yourself grace. Just get back up, keep going.”
SouthernSweetsCandy.com | @southernsweetscandy
“I don’t have a fear of failure; not trying is failure. I think being vulnerable is a superpower. I’m not afraid to try.” - Paige Powell
“What really matters in the end are the relationships you form with your people. When you’re walking someone to heaven, or when you’re getting walked to heaven, you just want your people there.” - Paige Powell