We do not know the exact date, but sometime in the 1940’s Chick Richey built a small shop on the popular route US 41 which was, at the time, a major thoroughfare for travelers heading south from the southern Great Lake Michigan area or Chicago. Lore
has it that many a notorious Chicagoan has visited Richey’s and the famous Mudlavia Resort nearby. Richey’s Chocolates gained a local following for its delicious confections, and Richey’s Chocolates reputation exceeded Chicks original expectations.

A young Jim Wolf, a native Attica resident, whose father served as the postmaster, worked at the local grocery store while in high school during the mid-1950’s. In his senior year of high school, Jim joined the Army National Guard and over time became a Company Commander and then a Division G3. Jim married his high school sweetheart, Myrna Pattengale, and after completing his initial active-duty commitment with the Army National Guard went into the Continued Military Training Program as a Major in October of 1964. Jim Wolf and his bride Myrna began pursuing the purchase of Richey’s Chocolates. They came to an agreement in January of 1965, and Chick taught Jim the art of making his delicious confections. They were not able to operate their first year in the Richey’s Chocolate shop location and had to relocate into a building on Canada street in Attica. After a year of operation, they were able to move back into the US 41 location and utilize half of the building.

Soon the newly married couple were on their own trying to make the business successful. It was a struggle for the two newlyweds.

Jim and Myrna worked hard, hand in hand to make their new chocolate shop, Wolf’s Homemade Candies, a success. This hard work allowed them to build a new location down the street in 1969 (current location). Their hard work and dedication to the business, strict adherence to their recipes, and unwillingness to compromise quality paid off, and Wolf’s Homemade Candies became a regional favorite. Enjoying the success of their seasonal chocolate business, the Wolf family had the summers off to share with their family, and time for Jim to continue his Army National Guard duties until full retirement in 1982. In 1981 they added the second story to the existing building. In 1994, Jim suffered a heart attack that signaled his candy making days were coming to an end.

In July of 1996, Jim & Myrna sold their candy business to Houston, Texas Cell Phone entrepreneurs Dennis McIntosh & Sharon Negele. Dennis & Sharon met while working their way through college at the Downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan Hilton. Sharon, a bartender, and Dennis, a waiter, met and quickly became close partners.

Sharon graduated from Western Michigan University in 1982 and began her search for a career in finance landing a job with Merrill Lynch in Houston, TX. The couple packed up their belongings and moved to Houston in 1983. It was not long after that the two decided it was time to get married, and in June of 1984 they tied the knot. Later that year, Dennis got involved in the distribution of cellular phones and the business of supplying customers to specific cell phone operators. Sharon continued her career in finance and continued her education, getting her MBA in Finance from the University of Houston. Along the way, Dennis & Sharon had two children, a son, Doyle and a daughter, Jessica.

The business thrived and in 1995 the pair sold their cell phone business. Dennis & Sharon, then both 36, decided it was time to find a small business that would provide not only an income but additional time to focus on raising their children and
experiencing more of what life had to offer. They discovered the opportunity to purchase Wolf’s Homemade Candies via a cellular phone executive in 1995. He had discussed his interest in buying the company in Attica where his wife had grown up. Dennis found the idea very interesting and decided to reach out to see if they were going to pursue the purchase. His friend conveyed that the family had decided to pass on the opportunity. Dennis & Sharon contacted the Wolf’s, and within a couple
months had decided it was a good fit. They moved their family to Attica on July 3, 1996, and that’s where the new story begins.

Dennis & Sharon worked with the Wolf’s for almost a year, learning the recipes, techniques, and business model the Wolf family created. It was indeed a good fit, and the two families became close. Dennis & Sharon purchased the long-standing seasonal ice cream shop that operated across the street from their new home and candy factory next door in 1998. Wolf’s Frozen Ice Cream now incorporates many candies produced from the candy factory directly into their delicious ice cream flurries. Dennis & Sharon grew the businesses. The ice cream shop still operates seasonally, and the candy factory in Attica operates year-round 7 days a
week with an additional retail location in West Lafayette, Indiana.