Village Candy
344 Beaver Street
Sewickley PA
412.741.1490
Tues - Sat 10-5
Wed til 8
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Greetings fellow candy lover!
What a fantastic issue of confectionery and informational goodness! We've packed this month's newsletter full of the sweetest stuff and made it a must read for "those in the know." Sure, the economy may be tanking, but what better/cheaper way to escape the economic doldrums than a candy fix? Just a spoonful of sugar helps the polical primary ads go down...
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The Vernal Equinox Is Upon Us
Spring Is In The Air
or is that just my deodorant...
Spring items are
arriving weekly. We now have cool new Watermelon Slice Pops, Fish
Kabobs, Tulip Pops and Coconut Slices (which some customers call "bacon"). Within
the next two weeks we'll be receiving chocolate sand dollars, conch
shells, and chocolate/peanut butter seashells.
Easter Was In The Air
and still is if you're orthodox
I think everyone agrees that Easter was quite early this year. For Orthodox Christians, it's still on their monthly planners - April 27th. Therefore, Village Candy welcomes you to take advantage of our 1/2 off Easter sale. There are still plenty of chocolaty treats - bunnies, ducks, lambs, eggs, etc. And all at 50% off!
Baseball Is In the Air
Unless it's a grounder...
Just in time for the start of baseball season, we'll arm you with all the essential items (as long as they're edible). We again have a full complement of David's Sunflower Seeds ("Eat. Spit. Be Happy.") in Original, Barbecue, Nacho, Jalapeno, and (my current addiction) Ranch. And, yes, we have the Jerky Stuff shredded jerky (the little snuff cans). Don't forget to check out the solid milk chocolate baseball gloves (complete with white chocolate ball) - probably not great for on-field action.
And don't forget, May Mart in Sewickley is April 10 and Mother's Day is April 11.
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Pop Tastings Are a Blast
Come to Our 2nd Annual Root Beer Sip-off
 You've heard of wine and beer tastings, but how about soda tastings? Why not - why should those who only drink alcohol get to act snobbish? Where else can you spout out words like "head," "nose" and "root-toot-tootin-good."
There's no better way to spend an hour out of your early Saturday evening than to sip free soda, mingle with other pop afficionados, and enjoy a beverage from America's heritage. It's free, it won't impede your judgment for the rest of the evening, and it's free (again). AND, it's fun!
 It's been a year since we held our first pop tasting. We hosted 150 people for that inaugural root beer sampling in May of 07, and in the interim we've enjoyed Gingers, consumed Creams, imbibed Birchs, swigged Sarsaparillas and quaffed Colas. We've decided it's time we returned to our root beers. We've gotten a number of new selections since then, like Zuberfizz, Dog 'n Suds, Triple X, Sparky's and this expensive German import to our left. So join us to check some of them out (probably not this expensive German import to our left).
Mark your calendars - Saturday, May 3, from 5:30 to 6:30 for our 2nd Annual Root Beer Sip-off.
Oh yeah, as a reminder - you MUST register by clicking HERE for the Root Beer Tasting. Or you can just email Village Candy and put ROOT BEER as the subject.
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Walnettos Are Here
Yummy Fudge-like Treat with Diamond Walnuts
 Responding to a number of customer requests, Village Candy is now stocking another candy of yesteryear, Walnettos, which were first introduced in the United States in 1919 by the J. N. Collins Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Walnettos were a big hit from the very beginning-they became one of the top candies purchased at movie theaters throughout the United States.
People loved the rich, distinctive, walnut caramel taste. Walnettos became one of the top ten best selling candies in the United States through World War II, after which the company was bought by Peter Paul Inc., the makers of Mounds and Almond Joy. During this time, Walnettos were featured regularly on the hit comedy program "Laugh-In." Arte Johnson's character used Walnettos to try to pick up Ruth Buzzi's character on the park bench with the line, "Want a Walnetto?" This further increased the fame and success of an already popular item.
In the 1960's Walnettos was purchased by Cadbury USA, who retired the line in order to focus on their chocolate business. It remained dormant until 1984, when an experienced candy marketer and budding entrepreneur, Sandy Licht, decided to bring back this nostalgic favorite.
Village Candy has Walnettos in half-pound bags.
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New Policy for Bulk Licorice
April 12th Is National Licorice Day (look it up)
 Village Candy has long had to struggle with the issue of how to keep some of our lower volume but still appreciated, unwrapped bulk candies fresh for our customers. To this end, we will now be keeping our bulk black, red and chocolate licorice at the counter, in sealed bags. Just tell one of our staff members (i.e., me) that you (i.e., the customer) would like some fresh licorice. We'll (I'll) be glad to open a bag and hand you some tongs. Oh great, I'm feeling a wave of informational urgency coming on...
Licorice (or liquorice) is the root of a plant (see picture of green thingy at right), from which a sweet flavor can be extracted. The licorice plant is a legume (related to beans and peas) and native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. Licorice extract is produced by boiling licorice root and then evaporating most of the water (in fact, the word 'licorice' is derived from the Ancient Greek words for 'sweet root'). Licorice extract is traded both in solid and syrup form. Its active principle is a sweetener more than 50 times as sweet as sucrose
Licorice flavor is found in a wide variety of licorice candies. The most popular in the United Kingdom are licorice allsorts (which we ALSO carry). In continental Europe, however, far stronger, saltier candies are preferred (those dang Europeans). In most of these candies the taste is reinforced by aniseed oil, and the actual content of licorice is quite low.
Pontefract in Yorkshire was the first place where licorice mixed with sugar began to be used as a sweet in the same way it is today (Village Candy ALSO carries Pontefract Cakes). In the Netherlands licorice candy is called "Drop" (and it is actually one of the most popular forms of candy), but only a few of the many forms that are sold contain aniseed, although mixing it with mint, menthol or with laurel is popular, and mixing it with ammonium chloride creates the very popular salty licorice.
Licorice is also found in some soft drinks (such as root beer - see tasting info above), and is in some herbal teas where it provides a sweet aftertaste. The flavor is common in medicines to disguise unpleasant flavors. Dutch kids often make their own "dropwater" (licorice water) by putting a few pieces of laurel licorice and a piece of licorice root in a bottle with water and then shake it to a frothy liquid, and they also like to drink a licorice based liqueur called a "dropshot".
Licorice is popular in Italy (particularly in the South) and Spain in its natural form. The root of the plant is simply dug up, washed and chewed as mouth-freshener. Throughout Italy unsweetened licorice is consumed in the form of small black pieces made only from 100% pure licorice extract; the taste is bitter and intense. In Calabria a popular liqueur is made from pure licorice extract. Licorice is also very popular in Syria where it is sold as a drink. Dried licorice root can be chewed as a sweet. According to the US Department of Agriculture Food Database, black licorice contains approximately 100 calories per ounce.
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Brand New Candy In Stock
Always Check Our "New Arrivals" Table
 In Village Candy's never-ending effort to keep you, our loyal customers, well informed and the first to have the latest in sugary goodness, we've acquired some treats hitherto (is that even a word) unseen in these parts. Take (taste), for example the newest Nerds candy offering that combines a chewy jelly bean center with a bumpy, crunchy Nerds shell. Or how about new Wildly Cherry M&Ms? Now we at Village Candy know that
 Jelly Belly has been offering JBz for quite some time, with loads of fantastic flavors (e.g., chocolate coconut, chocolate banana, chocolate raspberry, chocolate orange AND chocolate cherry). WHICH WE ALSO CARRY. It was just a matter of time before the folks at Mars got in on the action. Other new items include Wonka Shockers Rope, Belly Bugs (a little man with a clear belly full of bugs and a pair of tweezers), Camo Gum (a tiny camo knapsack filled with gum) and Hello Kitty Gum Dispensers.
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Village Candy is an old-time, new-fangled retail shop specializing in customer service, a unique selection of retro, bulk and novelty candy, artisan chocolates, glass-bottled pop and candy-themed gifts.
We are here Tuesday thru Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, but on Wednesdays we stay late until 8! We are closed Sunday and Monday.
Sincerely,
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Doug Alpern, Proprietor
Village Candy
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And Don't Forget to Visit Our Neighbors
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