A well-known name in South Alabama’s specialty candy scene is putting down new roots in Saraland. Merrill P. Thomas Co., Inc. has announced the completed lease of a 3,500-square-foot retail space at 205 Saraland Boulevard, clearing the way for the family- and veteran-owned candy shop formerly known as MAAS Treats & Treasures to relocate and reopen under a new name, MAAS Snacks & Quacks. Associate broker John M. Delchamps represented both the landlord and the tenant in the transaction, guiding the deal from negotiation to signed lease.
The move gives the business considerably more elbow room than its previous home on Shelton Beach Road, and it places the shop directly along one of Saraland’s busiest commercial corridors. For a retailer built around browsing, sampling and gift-shopping, a larger, more visible storefront can make a real difference in foot traffic and customer experience.
From Treats & Treasures to Snacks & Quacks
The rebrand from MAAS Treats & Treasures to MAAS Snacks & Quacks signals more than a new sign out front. The shop has built a loyal following around its lineup of novelty and specialty confections, including freeze-dried candy, fruit-shaped pastries, fruit-shaped ice cream treats and candy grapes, alongside other unique sweets that have made the store a destination for candy enthusiasts across the region. Freeze-dried candy in particular has become one of the fastest-growing trends in the specialty snack world in recent years, prized for its crunchy texture and intensified flavor, and its popularity has helped smaller, independently owned candy shops carve out a niche alongside larger national chains.
Beyond the candy case, the store has cultivated a distinct identity through duck- and Jeep-themed merchandise, tying into a broader hobbyist culture built around Jeep owners who decorate their vehicles and trade small rubber duck figurines with one another, a lighthearted trend often referred to as "Jeep ducking." The shop’s mascot, a duck named Goose, makes special appearances throughout the year, giving the business a recognizable, family-friendly personality that extends beyond its shelves of sweets.
Why the Location Matters
Saraland Boulevard is one of the primary retail and commercial arteries running through Saraland, connecting shoppers to a mix of restaurants, service businesses and retailers along the corridor. A 3,500-square-foot space represents a substantial upgrade in size for a specialty retailer, offering room for expanded product displays, more inventory variety and a more comfortable shopping experience for families browsing the store’s candy and merchandise selections together.
As a veteran- and family-owned small business, MAAS Snacks & Quacks fits into a broader pattern of independent retailers choosing to invest in Saraland as the city continues to draw commercial interest along its main thoroughfares. Locally owned specialty shops like this one often serve as anchors that draw repeat visits and word-of-mouth traffic, complementing the larger retailers and restaurants already established in the area.
What the Move Means for Local Shoppers
For longtime customers who knew the business as MAAS Treats & Treasures on Shelton Beach Road, the relocation means a short drive to a new address, but the shop’s core appeal, its rotating selection of specialty and novelty candies plus its duck- and Jeep-themed merchandise, is expected to carry over and expand into the larger footprint. Businesses that outgrow their original locations often use a move like this as an opportunity to broaden their product offerings, and the additional square footage at the Saraland Boulevard location should give MAAS Snacks & Quacks room to do exactly that.
Commercial real estate transactions like this one also offer a useful signal about the health of Saraland’s retail market. When a small, community-rooted business is able to secure a larger space along a high-traffic corridor, it typically reflects both landlord confidence in the tenant and steady consumer demand for the goods and experience that business provides. As MAAS Snacks & Quacks settles into its new home, area residents can expect the shop to remain a go-to stop for specialty treats, novelty gifts and a bit of small-town charm courtesy of Goose the duck.
The MAAS Snacks & Quacks relocation is the kind of small-business move that says a lot about where retail growth is happening in the Mobile area right now. Saraland, just north of the city of Mobile, has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the region for years, and the city’s main commercial corridors have continued to draw new investment as the population has expanded. A 3,500-square-foot lease on Saraland Boulevard is a meaningful commitment for a family- and veteran-owned business, and it reflects both the success of the company’s existing customer base and confidence in the customer base the new location is expected to build.
The decision to rebrand from MAAS Treats & Treasures to MAAS Snacks & Quacks also reflects a deliberate strategy. Specialty candy shops face a competitive environment that has changed substantially over the past decade. National chains that sell bulk candy, novelty sweets, and gift items have grown rapidly, and online retailers have made it easy for consumers to find unusual products without leaving home. Independent candy shops that have survived and thrived in that environment tend to be the ones that have built a distinctive identity, often through a tightly curated product mix and a strong in-person experience that is hard to replicate online.
Freeze-dried candy, which has become one of the store’s signature products, is a particularly interesting category. The process of freeze-drying candy, in which moisture is removed under vacuum at low temperatures, produces a texture and flavor profile that is different from the original product. The result is a light, crunchy treat that intensifies the flavor of the underlying candy, and it has become a significant trend in the specialty snack market. Independent retailers have been among the early adopters of the category, in part because freeze-dried candy is more difficult to source at scale than traditional packaged confections, and in part because the products tend to be visually striking, which works well in a retail setting where customers are drawn in by what they see.
The duck- and Jeep-themed merchandise is a different kind of business strategy, and one that points to the way independent retailers often build their identities around the personalities and hobbies of their founders. The trend known as “ducking” — in which Jeep owners leave small rubber ducks on other Jeeps as a friendly, anonymous gesture — has grown into a substantial online community, and the merchandise that surrounds it has become a small but real retail category. For a business whose mascot, Goose the duck, makes appearances at the store, the connection to the ducking community is more than just branding. It is a way of building a customer base that is actively engaged with the products and the identity of the store.
The role of the associate broker, John M. Delchamps, in representing both the landlord and the tenant is also worth noting. In commercial real estate, dual agency — the practice of representing both sides of a transaction — is permitted in Alabama but requires careful disclosure and the consent of both parties. Dual agency can streamline negotiations, particularly for smaller transactions where the parties are comfortable with the same broker handling both sides. The fact that the deal was completed quickly and that the tenant was able to move forward with confidence in the space suggests that the dual agency arrangement worked as intended.
For Saraland, the addition of a specialty retailer like MAAS Snacks & Quacks is part of a broader pattern of commercial growth. The city’s main corridors, including Saraland Boulevard, have been a focus of investment by both local entrepreneurs and national retailers, and the mix of restaurants, service businesses, and specialty shops along those corridors has continued to expand. Independent retailers tend to complement the larger national chains by providing the kind of unique, locally rooted shopping experience that draws repeat customers and helps define a community’s commercial identity.
For the existing customers of MAAS Snacks & Quacks, the move is also an opportunity. A larger footprint means more room for product variety, more comfortable browsing, and the kind of expanded inventory that a specialty retailer needs to keep its offering fresh. Businesses that outgrow their original locations often use the move as a chance to broaden their product mix, to add new services, and to create a more memorable in-person experience. The fact that the business is keeping its core identity, including the duck mascot and the Jeep-themed merchandise, while also adding the “Snacks” framing to the new name, suggests that the leadership is thinking about how to make the new location a destination rather than simply a bigger version of the old store.
The commercial real estate market in the Mobile area has been active in recent years, with new development in communities like Saraland, Daphne, and Spanish Fort complementing the ongoing investment in downtown Mobile. The fact that a small, family-owned business was able to find and afford a 3,500-square-foot space in a strong location is a positive signal for the broader retail environment. It suggests that landlords are willing to make deals with local tenants, that the available inventory in strong corridors is sufficient to support growth, and that the consumer demand for the kind of experience MAAS Snacks & Quacks offers remains healthy enough to justify the investment in a new, larger location.