Village Candy
344 Beaver Street
Sewickley PA
412.741.1490
Tues - Sat 10-5
Wed til 8
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Quick Links
| Check Us Out On The Web at
villagecandy.com 
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Greetings Fellow Candy Lover!
Since we have over two month's worth of material to cover, and my proselytizing is most likely your least favorite thing about this recurring compendium of sugary goodness, I'll keep it to a bare minimum.
Valentine's Day is just 10 days away (Thursday, February 14)! Remember your kids (including those away in college or departed the nest) and your siblings. But most of all, remember your sweetheart. So get your butts in gear (which means most of our male customers will be in on the 14th)!
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Valentine's NOT Just for Lovers
Goodies That Anyone/Everyone Will Like
Village Candy has just the things to make a Valentine's statement, from the simple, smile-producing Sweethearts (see left, originating in 1901, with NECCO producing  roughly 8 billion per year) to the more romantic boxed chocolate assortment. We even have a gorgeous 3 ounce milk chocolate heart beautifully molded in all its lacy glory. Approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US, and a full half (oxymoron? I think not) of those valentines are given to family members other than  husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in schools, that figure rises to 1 billion, and teachers become the biggest recipients.
It's the second most celebrated holiday around the world, following only New Year's Day. The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love occurred in a work of the alien-language spewing, classical writer Geoffrey Chaucer. Customs around amazingly varied. In Saudi Arabia, religious police banned the sale of all Valentine's Day paraphernalia, telling shop workers to remove any red items, as the day is considered a Christian holiday. The ban has created a black market of roses and wrapping paper. In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14 (White Day). On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything in February or March go to a Korean restaurant (actually, in Korea, wouldn't that just be considered a restaurant?) to eat black noodles and "mourn" their single life.
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| Sewickley Chocolate Walk
Be a Part of this Sweet Event
 The first annual Sewickley Chocolate Walk will take place on Wednesday, February 13, between 5 pm and 7 pm. Click on the link to find out more! For this event Village Candy  will be demonstrating how to make authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate by grating Taza Mexican Organic Chocolate and mixing with hot water or milk (we'll go with milk) using a molinillo, a special Mexican whisk. Samples for all participants. Let's hope for a chilly night; otherwise - chocolate milk for all! |
Chiller Theater
A report on all things sodarific: what's new in the fridge, tastings and interesting tidbits from the world of bottled effervescence.
Your Soda List for This Evening... Unique bottled beverages arrive regularly at the Village Candy port. We try to rotate the contents of our cooler consistently - what you see in our over-150-selection-fridge is never the entirety of our inventory. Our aging cellar is off site (actually, the cellar is aging, not the contents), and we are in the process of uploading a complete listing to our web site so that you'll be able to request specific items for when you arrive. That means an even larger selection, especially for those who are eenie-meenie-minie-mowing now! Some recent arrivals of interest:
Golden Records Wizard of Oz Cherry Cola
Golden Records Mighty Mouse Blue Cream
R-Pep
Jersey Creme
Village Candy's December Adults-Only Ginger Tasting A great flock of attendees filled Village Candy on a cold December evening for our 4th Annual Ginger Tasting, and they all seemed to have a good time. Everyone tasted freshly made Moscow Mules and Dark 'n Stormies (thanks to the kind participation of our friends at Sharp Edge Bistro).
We also had a full lineup of Ginger Beers for the tasting, and our scientific testing produced the following results:
 Oh, and lastly, but definitely not leastly, Fred Smith was the lucky winner of our random tasting ballot drawing. Fred picked up a 6-pack of the top 6 Gingers. Congrats Fred!!! |
Random Newness
Cool Stuff, Just Arrived, Look For It
 Bequet Caramels
Customers have been clamoring for Béquet Celtic Sea Salt Vanilla Butter Caramels since we introduced them to the western PA. Béquet slow simmers the finest ingredients to create the smoothest, creamiest, most exquisite tasting gourmet caramel. And now, we have them three convenient ways - individually, in 10-piece gift bags and in 9-piece clear acetate gift boxes. Eat one, and you'll be hooked!
Too Hot to Handle
 For those who like a lot of heat with their sweet, Jelly Belly has just the thing for you: new Tabasco flavored Jelly Beans. Jelly Belly describes the flavor like this: "the pungent taste of red peppers, Avery Island salt and distilled vinegar, coupled with a subtle sweetness - but not too sweet - undertone from the jelly bean itself." Though they definitely pack a punch, they're actually quite delicious! |
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And One More Thing...
Son of Candy Alphabet
 ot Ham! We're already up to letter number 8! There are a veritable cornucopia of H-lettered treats, and we've selected one! Shouldn't be too hard, and definitely not so hard that you have to Google it! C'mon...
Type your guess in an email, and submit it to candyalphabet@villagecandy.com. We'll tumble all the winning entries in one of those "entry tumblers" and we'll select one winner. And then you'll be invited down to Village Candy to pick up a prize. Don't worry about being embarrassed - we'll forgo the confetti and balloons.
 Last month's correct answer was Good & Plenty. The winner of February's fabulous prize is Mary Margaret Beyer. C'mon down Mary Margaret! Good & Plenty was first made by the Quaker City Confectionery Company of Philadelphia in 1893, and is the oldest branded candy in the U.S. It's not made by Hershey. Interesting tidbit: According to the Ontario Science Centre, the scent of Good & Plenty candy is one of those (along with cucumber) that women find most alluring. Hmmm, enlightening. You'll be able to find me on April 14 at Korea Garden eating my Good & Plenty. |
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Village Candy is an old-time, new-fangled retail shop specializing in a unique selection of retro and current bulk and novelty candy, artisan chocolates, glass-bottled pop and candy-themed gifts. Oh, and remember customer service? It's back!
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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