Sioux City Journal

Verdict in on Palmer's new home - Iconic candy shop's building has customers buzzing

By Dolly A. Butz / Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Palmer's Olde Tyme Candy Shop recently moved from a location near to the Tyson Events to a new location along Sioux City's Wesley Parkway.

SIOUX CITY - Moving from a century-old building on Douglas Street, to a one-time furniture store on Wesley Parkway, is the best move Palmer's Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe has made thus far, according to store manager Jon Sadler.

"We had a lot of people who were real upset about us leaving the old store and the historical building," he said. "When they walked in here their eyes got big and they went, 'Wow, this is really nice.'"

The store had to vacate its former first-floor space in Palmer Candy Co.'s first factory, at 209 Douglas St., because the building is slated for demolition, to make way for the development of the $13 million Stoney Creek hotel and conference center.

The two-story brick structure, at 405 Wesley Parkway, was acquired by Palmer in 1997 and was previously used for storage and shipping. The new store is just a block away from the company's current factory at 311 Bluff St.

"It's a busier corner. We've got a lot more space," Sadler said. "The public is really responding to it. People love it."

On Sept. 15, Palmer's Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe opened its new 2,400 square-foot location, which Sadler said is twice as big as the old store.

"The store itself is built bigger," he said. "There's a lot more room between aisles and places for people to gather."

The store features a 600-square foot museum with a collection of antique candy making equipment, old photos and two glass cases full of memorabilia and gift boxes from the past.

"There's just a collection of antique candy making equipment - items that were used in the factory 70-80 years ago," Sadler said. "There's a taffy puller. There's old candy making molds."

On a visit to the candy store, customers can watch a video that shows how candy is made at the factory. Through a window opening to the production area of the store, visitors can watch workers dip strawberries in chocolate, coat apples in caramel and make Easter molds. Sadler said two chocolate tempering machines have been added to the store.

"Any given day we might be making something with those," Sadler said. "We made a lot of our own Easter molds this year, instead of having the factory do all of them. People like that because they can stand there and watch."

Due to the additional space, customers have a greater selection of sweet treats to chose from. Sadler said the candy shop now offers 30 to 40 new products, including more dark chocolate. An extra glass case has been added to display fresh fudge.

An empty room at the end of the museum could be used to expand the store in the future, house a candy making class or accommodate bus tours. Sadler said two or three buses visit the candy store a week. He said he expects the tours to pick up in the spring.

"They just love it," he said. "Everybody loves going to the candy store."