“Our customers don’t necessarily walk in wanting to buy something that’s good for them. Today, Scheiman also sells sugar-free and organic candy. That’s what it’s all about,” says the 66-year-old Scheiman, whose favorite confections are Chunky and Bun Maple candy bars. As they’re sharing these stories, they’re smiling and it’s electric because you can tell that they’ve gone back in time to when they were 6 or 8 years old, all because of the memories associated with a special candy or two. With cash in their pockets, they rode their bicycles - all decked out with baseball cards in the spokes-to the corner store to buy their favorite candies. “They talk about how they collected Coke bottles and turned them in for the deposits. “I hear customers’ favorite stories every day,” says Scheiman, whose office door is rarely shut. Classics such as Reese’s Cups, Snickers and Tootsie Rolls are well represented, too. Meanwhile, GenXers and Millennials are transported back in time with such favorites as Airheads bars, Blow Pops (blue raspberry, of course), Gummi Bears and Sour Patch Kids.

Visitors delight in retro confections that connect with their childhoods while they introduce their children and grandchildren to such treats.įor Boomers, it’s candy necklaces and buttons, Good & Plenty (remember Choo Choo Charlie?), Necco Wafers and Turkish Taffy (banana was the best!) that evoke the fondest memories. Those last five words are more than a cliché as shoppers roam the aisles with their children and grandchildren. Inside the cavernous warehouse, seven days a week, visitors can peruse the $3 million inventory, which includes 5,500 candy varieties, canisters of Charles Chips potato chips and multiple popcorn flavors and brands, including newly acquired Campbell’s and Humphrey, as well as Sweeties’ own brand made on site.Ī soda/ice cream (homemade, of course) shop and two 18-hole miniature golf courses with lots of giant lollipops complete Sweeties’ menu of offerings for kids of all ages. No one knows that better than Tom Scheiman, the ebullient owner of the 40,000-square-foot candy store - the nation’s largest - located at 6700 Brookpark Rd., near Ridge Road. Just how far back depends on your age.Įveryone has candy-connected childhood memories. Sweetie Candy, better known as Sweeties, provides visitors.

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