New dessert business opening this weekend in Wichita to offer ‘Christmas Cheer All Year’
A sweet new business is opening in downtown Wichita on Saturday that will make it feel like Christmas all summer.
Hunter and Thali Leichner are about to open a second location of their Candy Cones shaved ice business that they started in Haysville last summer. The mobile business has a Christmas theme — with holiday lights decorating its surroundings and employees dressed as elves — and it serves outrageously huge and decadent shaved ice creations as well as Italian coffee.
The Wichita Candy Cones will be set up on the east side of the Union Station Plaza at 701 E. Douglas. It’ll operate out of a trailer wrapped to look like a gingerbread house and will be across the plaza from the little kiosks that have held various food businesses over the years. (The kiosks will get a new sweet tenant on Monday: Sweet House, a bubble waffle stand I told you about a few weeks ago.)
The Leichners will serve their treats from the trailer every day of the week except for Sundays and will stay open past dark most nights, which will allow them to set up an eye-catching summertime Christmas light display. They’ll serve until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Their shaved ice creations have developed a reputation for their height and over-the-top add-ons. The best seller, Hunter Leichner said, is the Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins, which features shaved ice topped with Fruity Pebbles, Skittles and various other candies plus whipped cream, cotton candy and a candy “cabob.” The next most popular creation is an Apple Pie treat that layers shaved ice with spiced apples and ice cream. People can also build their own cones, and sugar-free options will also be available.
The trailer at Union Station will not only be decorated with Christmas lights but it also will be surrounded with outdoor games people can play while they enjoy their treats. There will also be tables set up nearby.
Hunter Leichner is a 2012 graduate of Wichita Heights High School who went on to become a professional golfer. During COVID-19, he said, all of his tournaments were canceled, so he turned to developing an idea he’d had for several years: a Christmas-themed shaved-ice business.
He opened his shop in Haysville last July on the grounds of the River Church at 1100 E. Grand, where his father is a pastor. It’s already up and running again this year.
Hunter said he hopes to eventually open Candy Cones trailers across the country. In Wichita and Haysville, his shops will remain open through October — and he’s considering opening both back up for the holiday season in November and December.
The businesses’ motto is “Christmas Cheer All Year,” he said, and so far, he’s been providing that. His Haysville shop was open only about a month last year but earned fans quickly. Many young visitors, he said, believe they’re meeting actual North Pole elves when they visit.
“It’s just a really good, clean, wholesome environment for families and people to come have a good time,” he said. “It’s more about the experience than the product. But we try to offer a great experience and a great product, too.”
Candy Cones’ hours in Wichita, starting Saturday, will be noon to 10 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays; and noon to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Haysville’s hours are noon to 10 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays; and noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays. Both will be closed on Sundays.
Nick Flores of Occidental Management was the leasing agent on the deal, part of Occidental Managements recent renewed efforts to get more life and activity on the Union Station plaza.
Candy Cones menu
This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 2:29 PM.
.jpg)