September 2009
VillageCandyGram
News to infuse
Village Candy
344 Beaver Street
Sewickley PA
412.741.1490
Tues - Sat 10-5
Wed til 8
Septenmber Edition
New Arrivals
Chiller Theater
Another Candy Alphabet
Jelly Belly Challenge
Oh, and BTW
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Greetings fellow candy lover!

School's begun and the seasonal progression is giving a hint of what's on the autumnal horizon. The biggest candy season of all is just around the corner, but before the fields turn to candy corn and likenesses of Santa are cast in chocolate, many new sweet treats are already here. New product introductions and a continually changing beverage selection mean there's always something new in-store. Come in and let us show you...
New Candy Arriving (almost) Daily!

Altoids Cool Honey

Altoids Cool HoneyAltoids come in a ton of flavors (Village Candy stocks them all!), and after a recent spate of "chocolate-dipped" intros, comes this honey-flavored mint. Enough already! But good timing for H1N1.

Chocolate-covered Gummi Bears are back!

Vosges Dark Bacon BarWe've had these in the past, but we can never get enough to keep up with demand. Though there's a brand out there that produces these "muddy bears" in concession sized boxes, we think these beauties, made by the fine candy folks at Koppers, leave the others in the cocoa.

These Suckers Are Awfully Cute

Jungle LollipalsEach of these delicious lollipops is a work of hand-crafted art. They will definitely be a hit with the younger crowd, and juvenile delinquents like me.


Your Chocolate Espresso Prayers Have Been Answered

Asher's Peppermint BarkWe've had a lot of requests for chocolate-dipped espresso beans lately, so we've answered the call. These tasty (and energizing) morsels are made by the same people who produce our choco gummi bears, and since I'm the jittery fool who samples the playing field, I can attest to their yummy-ness factor. They come in a convenient resealable tube, and in Milk Chocolate and Coffee & Cream.

Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds

Sunny Seed DropsNext up on our request leader board is candy-coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I'm addicted to the uncoated ranch variety myself, but we now stock these pretty buds for those who want a tasty and colorful treat that actually has nutritional value. Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of Vitamin E, magnesium and selenium, and their phytosterols seem to be all the rage for their supposed cholesterol-lowering qualities. And they're just darn delicioso.

A New Addition to the Lineup - Perugina

Perugina ChocolateWe conducted a little experiment a few months back. One of our missions is to keep our bar chocolates always fresh and new, and to keep our fingers on our customers' pulse (especially when it's racing for chocolate). We had a tasting of similar chocolates from different countries. The clear winner was Perugina from Italy. We listened - now we have their full line, including White, Milk, Milk with Raspberry, Milk with Almonds, Dark, and Dark with Almonds. And we agree - it's a smooth player.

And a Couple More

Baby Ruth CrispSnickers Fudge BarBaby Ruth Crisp and Snickers Fudge Bar. Take your pick - we've got 'em both!
Chiller Theater
A report on all things sodarific: what's new in the fridge, tastings and interesting tidbits from the world of bottled effervescence.

New thirst quenchers for September


Barons Boothill SarsaparillaA Sip of Sarsaparilla, a Bite of BirchLurch Birch

Pictured left is one of the few brews that spells sarsaparilla the way we pronounce it - "sass-parilla." And a darn tasty brew it is. Also new to the Birch/Sarsaparilla area is Lurch Birch, pictured right. The label says "Left Coast Recipe," but does not explain its Addams Family lineage.

Always Some Things Interesting

Green River SodaGreen River was developed in 1919 by the Schoenhofen Brewery of Chicago as a non-alcoholic product for the Prohibition era. It was popular for decades as a soda fountain syrup, trailing only Coca-Cola in popularity. After Prohibition ended in 1933 however, the brewery made Green River a second priority to alcoholic drinks, and it closed in 1950. Lolli's Cherry Pop This tasty lime beverage is now produced by the Clover Club Bottling Corp. of Chicago.

For those of you who love the taste of cherries, Lolli's Cherry Pop is a dream come true! It tastes great, and is a so-called energy drink to boot. And you can't beat the label.
Another Candy Alphabet
Candy Alphabet Puestion - how many candies actually begin with a "Q"? Believe it or not there are even more than one! Q, which is rarely seen in a word without a U next to it in English, is the second most rarely used letter in our mother tongue. In Scrabble in North America, the only acceptable words with a Q and not a U are qi, qat, qaid, qadi, qoph, qanat, tranq, faqir, sheqel, qabala, qabalah, qindar, qintar, qindarka, mbaqanga, and qwerty, along with their plurals. And you're welcome for giving you the Scrabble advantage...

But I digress...For those new to this game (better than Scrabble), name the candy that begins with the letter above, exactly as it appears on the package. 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 ClueNik L Nip
Candy AlphabetOur latest grand prize Candy Alphabet winner is Michelena Wolf, who correctly guessed the Planters Peanut Bar, which we stock at Village Candy, and is a fond memory from my youth.

Amedeo Obici came to America from Italy at the age of eleven. As a young man he operated a peanut stand which later became a store and restaurant. Then, in 1906,  partnering with his future bother-in-law, Mario Peruzzi, he started the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Mr. Peanut was introduced in 1916 through a high school sketching contest - the winner was a 13 year old boy. A commercial artist later added the top hat, cane, white spats and monocle, creating one of the world's most recognizable trademarks. The Planters Peanut Bar made its way in the 1930s, with a recipe of peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt, and it became an instant hit.
Test Your Taste Buds
The Two-stage Jelly Belly Challenge
Jelly Belly 50 Flavors
You may not be good at taking tests, but we have one that's sure to please, even if you fail! Coming up in the month of October, we're going to try a Jelly Belly Tasting/Challenge, in two stages. One Saturday evening in both October and November we'll open our store after hours for a very special event. We'll have 25 different number-labeled bowls of individual Jelly Belly varieties placed throughout the store, Attendees will taste each bean, and write down what they think its flavor is. If you attend both events, you'll get to try every one of the Jelly Belly 50. For each event, Village Candy will award gift cards to those who correctly guess each of the 50 flavors (or, in the event of a disappointing group failure, the closest guesses will win, but you will still be remanded for detention).
 
Should be a lot of fun, and we'll all get to see how accurate the taste specialists at JB really are.
Oh, and BTW
Have You Seen the September Pittsburgh Magazine?
ChristmasGinger
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,
 

Doug Alpern, Proprietor
Village Candy