If you’re someone who enjoys stories about celebrities – otherwise known as celebrity gossip – you know that most of the stories that get reported seem to be about celebrities behaving badly.
I mean, that’s what sells the papers, I suppose.
That said, I actually love reading about celebrities doing good, because there’s just something about it that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, don’t you think?
Enter Paul Rudd and his wife Julie Rudd, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his wife Hilarie Burton. The pair just happened to have a favorite sweet shop in Rhinebeck, NY, in common – and when it nearly shut down after its owner’s passing in 2014, they stepped in to make sure it stuck around.
Samuel’s Sweet Shop is a candy store with an old-world charm. It had been operated in Rhinebeck for over 25 years by Ira Gutner, and when there was no one to take it over, Rudd and Morgan hated the thought of the establishment being gone for good.
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Paul Rudd said the investment in the candy story, which serves candies, desserts, pastries, and more, was a very personal decision, one that helps him feel a connection to the local community.
“One of the most important things any human can experience is to be a part of a community and feel connected to where you live and to other people who live there, especially in a job like mine.”
Morgan feels similarly, stating that Rhinebeck has always felt like home.
“It’s the first time I’ve felt at home in my entire adult life. It’s a combination of the people and the scenery. It’s a different vibe from my 20 years in LA when I didn’t even know my neighbors.”
While the pair of celebrities now own the shop, their management is all local. John Traver, who runs the shop on a daily basis, began working there when he was just 15 years old.
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He was devastated after Burton’s death because he didn’t have the means to buy and run the shop on his own.
“There was triumph out of tragedy. I had lost my friend, but these really great people came forward and helped me and saved the local candy store and now I have this incredible opportunity to make this place as successful as I can, which is awesome. It’s great.”
Everyone involved with Samuel’s thinks there’s something magical about the place, and everyone in Rhinebeck is glad not to have lost a local institution.
It’s a win all the way around, so the next time you’re in the area, make sure you stop in for a visit – they have coffee, too, so sit and have a cup for me.
