WHY VISIT ONE LOCAL CANDY STORE WHEN YOU CAN VISIT TWO >>>
It's hard to improve upon something as beloved as candy, but two local candy shops are proving there's more to it than just being sweet.
Downtown Sumner is now home to Ciarrai Jeanne Confections, an old fashioned candy store that opened at the end of January selling family-made confections, as well as other locally made treats. Owners Karen Kralovic and Kerry Langel are a mother/daughter team carrying on the candy making traditions of Kralovic's Great Aunt Sophia, whose 60-year-old soft peanut brittle recipe called "bruttle" ($7.95/8 oz.) is made in Spokane and sold at the shop, along with homemade fudge ($2.95), caramels ($1/each) and chocolate barks ($4.75). Both the caramels and peanut brittle are unique takes on the traditional. "The soft, buttery caramels melt in your mouth, and the brittle retains its original flavor without being overly hard and crunchy," says Langel. "We wanted to keep the candy as local as possible," she says. With Sumner-made Madyson's Marshmallows and Killian Korn from Othello, they are doing just that.
With the phrase "If you're buying it, then you understand it", owner Ellen Laguatan of OCD Candy Company is doing things a little differently. Customers love the fun concept, as OCD grew out of their Sanford and Sons location, and moved to larger St. Helens Ave Mercantile. Find meticulously packaged gummy bears in rainbow order ($5.25/full pack) and perfectly placed color-coded coated chocolates ($4.95/180 count), as well as hard to find nostalgic candies. "People that come in are happy and curious," says Laguatan. "I really enjoy how excited people get when they see an old, favorite candy in the nostalgia section or come across the OCD Candy and think it's an awesome idea."
From traditional to quirky and locally made to hard to find, these South Sound confectionaries have you covered.
OCD CANDY COMPANY, ST. HELENS AVE MERCANTILE, 12-6 P.M. WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M. FRIDAY-SATURDAY, 11 A.M. TO 5 P.M. SUNDAY, 753 ST. HELENS AVE., TACOMA, 253.383.7107
CIARRAI JEANNE CONFECTIONS, 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M. TUESDAY-SATURDAY, 1002 MAIN ST., SUMNER, 253.731.5601
