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!
June is National Candy Month according to the National Confectioners Association. It's also the beginning of a season that conjures up some of our most vivid sweet memories - Big League Chew, Candy Apples, Watermelon Coconut Strips, Caramellows, Swirley Lollipops, Rainbow Taffy, icy cold Orange Crush. Stop in and let us reawaken those images (except for the apples - you're on your own for those).
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Chiller Theater
A report on all things sodarific: what's new in the fridge, tastings and interesting tidbits from the world of bottled effervescence
The G-Wiz Summit
Soda representatives to convene...
 As a precursor to the recently announced G-20 summit coming to a city near you in September, Village Candy will be hosting its own "Soda Summit" this month. These bubbleheads of state may not be as well known and (self) important as the aforementioned group, but bottled beverages representing constituencies near and far will soon be receiving a frosty reception at Village Candy. As of this report, Groups of 6 (packs) of distinguished effervescent "potion-tates" are criss-crossing the country, all headed to the same destination - Sewickley's own Village Candy. Protesters have already announced their intentions to pick-it (not sure what "it" is).
Rat Bastard Root Beer leads the (6) pack with strong popular support, along with similar brews from the likes of Abita, AJ Stephan's, Barrel Brothers, Capt'n Eli's, Frostie, Olde Rhode
Island, Pearson Brothers, Sea Dog, Thomas Kemper and Sparky's, among others. A strong delegation of sarsaparillas will also make the trip, including Baron's Boothill, Columbia Sodaworks and Snake River. In addition, a few special guests have announced their intentions of dropping in.
The Soda Summit will be convening in VC's Chiller Theater some time in the next week or two, followed by a tasting to be announced in July's CandyGram. Stay tuned!
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M&Ms and Transformers Team Up
'Strawberried Peanut Butter' Movie Tie-In
 M&Ms seem to be on a movie tie-in tear recently (e.g., Shrek, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean). Maybe they still feel the sting from the missed E.T. opportunity. Whatever, this latest incarnation from the people that made our alphabet's 13th letter famous tastes better then it might sound. This one's linked to the upcoming Transformers sequel, Revenge of the Fallen. Think PB&J, or Peanut Butter M&Ms with a hint of strawberry jam. There are supposedly a series of seven different wrappers (though I've only seen one). Oh, and remember - they're LIMITED EDITION! |
Candy  uckleheads!
o, it's probably not what you think. Another in a long line of Village Candy's Candy Alphabet quiz (number 14, to be exact), this childhood treat needs no clues. There are truly only a handful of "N" candies, and I didn't want to make it too easy. And remember, if you're the first to send us
the correct guess of the candy that begins with this letter, you'll win a very special prize.
Last Month's Clue  Ok, I confess - the photo of the winner's mug below is the same picture that appeared in last month's issue. That's because our  newest candy alphabet winner is in it (in the middle, Mike Traficante), along with our previous winner (his sister). Our rules don't specifically state that winners may not be relatives of previous winners (except for families with the surname of Traficante - be forewarned, babe in arms). There you have it.
Mary Jane candy originated in 1914 and is currently produced by NECCO. It's a peanut butter and molasses flavored taffy-type candy with peanut butter in the center.
In 1884, Charles H. Miller and his three sons founded a small business manufacturing and selling homemade candy. The building where they began was the former Paul Revere House in Boston's Faneuil Hall/North End area. After their father passed on to that big candy heaven in the sky, the Miller boys split the responsibilities - Charles Jr. took charge of the manufacturing and wholesale operations while his brothers ran the retail store. In 1914, after a fairly successful business was established (the Charles N. Miller Company, uniquely enough), they began manufacturing Mary Janes. The candy was named for their favorite aunt, Tootsie Roll (just checking to see if you're paying attention).
The Miller Company tried several variations of the legendary Mary Jane mixture, but none compared with the original. Over the years, Miller introduced several other candies, but none achieved the same success, and eventually Mary Jane came to be their only product.
Village Candy carries Mary Janes, individually wrapped, BTP.
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 Report from the
This year's event brought another slew of new sweets from the labs of the major sugar pushera, or line extensions of current candies. Leading the list is Hershey's expanding family of Pieces. Joining Reese's will be York, Almond Joy and Hershey Chocolate. Pop Rocks, trying to rescue itself from last year's chocolate bar fiasco, will introduce Pop Rocks Foam-Blastic ("a color explosion of popping & foaming action"). Now, not only will there be a party in your mouth, but it'll come with a case of rabies! Koko's Candy will be bringing out a line of Icee products. Concord Confections, known for Wax Lips, will be reviving a winner from my childhood, Wax Mustaches ("Mr. Stache"). Sour Patch adds a new offering - Chillerz (soft & chewy candy with a surge of cooling!). Trolli is introducing gummi Little Green Men. Pez will be coming out with a limited edition Wizard of Oz set in the fall, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the film. Chewy Extinguisher Sour Fruit Candy from American Licorice Co. is supposed to be a big hit, but I just don't get it.
The biggest news at the show, in my opinion, was oxymoronically  represented by a small, single, easily overlooked table in the far corner of the giant Warrell Candy Co. booth. Good news for all the customers who have consistently asked for Bonomo Turkish Taffy - production is tentatively set to begin some time this year, in its original formula!
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Plan Now For Your Candy Cravings!
No, this isn't some promotional tie-in to a lame-o Disney movie!
Village Candy will be closed from Friday, June 26th through Monday, July 6th. We are very sorry to inconvenience our customers during this period, and we hope you will bear with us while we do our parental duty and explore the finest our country's collegiate education system has to offer.
We will close at our usual time of 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 25th, and will resume normal business hours at 10:00 pm on Tuesday, July 7th.
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Village Candy is an old-time, new-fangled retail shop specializing in customer service, a unique selection of retro and current 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 Wednesday 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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