Candy Professor

Where Do You Buy Candy?

February 22, 2010 at 8:25 am 4 comments

Where do you go to buy candy? Not special candy, but just your everyday ordinary candy purchases. I live in the city, so for me, it’s the drug store (believe it or not, there are three within three blocks of my apartment). I hear about a lot of great candies found at Target, a lot of great deals at Wal-Mart, sometimes regional finds at gas station convenience stores.

When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike to the candy store. OK, it was in a suburban strip mall, but it really was a candy store.  I can’t remember what was in the back of the shop, but the front was all candy, all kinds. I went looking for it last time I visited my parents. Alas, that store is long gone. Now it’s a dry cleaner.

So where did people buy their candy a hundred years ago? One big difference between then and now is that there were candy shops in every town, shops that in most cases sold at least some goods that were made on the premises. When I think about the early 20th century, this is the image that always comes to me.

So I was happy to find this ad for Greenfields chocolate, which gives us an interesting picture of how and where people might buy the more “fancy” sorts of candy around 1907.

Of course, department stores and drug stores were major players. This is where the more expensive candies were sold. They catered to customers with more time and money to shop and spend.

The other idea in this ad is the association of candy with transportation. People buy Greenfields on board the rail road, in the train station, on the ferry. In 1907, candy is some thing you might eat on the way. Looking at these ladies’ clothes, though, I’d guess we’re not talking about grabbing a bite aboard a crowded bus, of course. More like lounging in your state-room or private car.

We still buy candy in the airport or at the train station. These days, though, candy on the go is more likely to mean a cup-holder fitted container in the front seat of the SUV.

Entry filed under: 1890 to WW I, Marketing. Tags: buying candy, candy shops.