Molyna Sim and Paul Clancy at the chocolate counter. All Candy Castle’s chocolates are hand made locally.
By Heather Aveson | “I am the proverbial ‘kid in a candy store,’” admits Paul Clancy swinging a 2-foot long baseball bat filled with chocolates. And it’s a good thing too, since he’s the owner of Lexington’s Candy Castle celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. Paul and his store manager Molyna Sim remind me of a chocolate covered pretzel in the candy case. The flavors are very different, but work really well together.
Paul’s playfulness can try the patience of the, sometimes, more practical Molyna. Paul ordered the 2-foot long baseball bats, along with giant lollipops and “Idaho Spud” candy while Molyna was away recently. “I couldn’t believe it when this really large order arrived. All I could say was, ‘we’ve got to do something about the price of these baseball bats,” chides Molyna with a laugh, “after all, we are a business and we have to have a profit margin.” Paul just shrugs his shoulders, “Aren’t they great!”
Playfulness is just one side of Paul. He bought the store in 2008 from the second owners, Darla and JC Massad. Paul had been selling and supplying food service and ice cream equipment to local mom and pop shops. That’s how he met Darla and JC When the couple decided to sell, Paul was already familiar with the business and Paul decided to step in. All fun aside, it’s hard work,“It’s a lot more work and a lot more hours than I was working, but in the end it’s a lot more satisfying.”
Barbara Doherty of Winchester opened the original Candy Castle in 1981 in a tiny storefront around the corner on Meriam Street. She knows what Paul means. “It didn’t dawn on me how much physical work it would be. I’d start my day going to Somerville and picking up 300 lbs. of candy. And we did it all ourselves.” When she had the opportunity to move around the corner to the present location she grabbed it. “We didn’t miss a day. We couldn’t afford to. We carried everything around the corner ourselves and the customers were so nice, they just stepped over the boxes.”
After the move Barbara added freshly made frozen yogurt, slush in the summer and cold drinks for thirsty tourists. Paul credits much of Candy Castle’s longevity to its view of the Battle Green. “Tourists get off the bus and they see that tall cool drink in the window, we get a big boost from our location.” But it’s also a destination for locals. Christopher Lupone and his dad stopped by for a treat recently. While Christopher, who attends Hancock Nursery School, made his choices, Dad commented, “It’s hard to get away, we’re so busy with all things we do around town with the kids. So it’s like a mini-vacation when we come to Candy Castle.” A lot of kids have grown up with Candy Castle and it’s a go to destination for LHS kids after school and a must for younger kids on half days.
All the chocolates at Candy Castle are locally made.
For some of these kids Candy Castle is their first work experience as well. Molyna started out working part time while she was at LHS. She went away to school, but came back and worked a shift here and there during breaks. When Paul bought the store he asked Molyna to come back and help train his new staff. In 2009 he convinced her to come back as full time Manager. Now she’s the one watching high school students come and go. “I was hired as a local kid. I was able to do what I wanted to do and come back,” she says, “The girls from Lexington go off to college, get internships, and sometimes they need a job…it’s one of those places you keep coming back to.” Although it ruffles her feathers to hear it, Molyna is something of a mother hen to her brood of Lexington chicks. “I write college recommendations and references for them. Working here helps kids learn about dealing with finances, people, and following through on commitments.”
With Paul’s background in ice cream, it became a much bigger part of the shop when he took over. He loves making up new ice cream flavors, his favorite is ‘Devil Dog Ice Cream Delight’. “I remembered in middle school all those great snacks we had, Ring Dings, Yodels and Devil Dogs and I wanted to try something with that,” he says. There’s a lot more to it than just Devil Dogs and ice cream, yes there are real devil dogs in there, but I’m not giving the whole recipe away. You’ve just got to try it.
On the other hand, Molyna is The Queen of Fudge. She’s the one who comes up with creative new concoctions like Cake Batter Fudge. Both items are big seller and staples in the store.
The high quality locally made chocolates, offered individually or by the pound, are the foundation on which Candy Castle is built. ‘Penny candy’, nostalgia brands like Turkish Taffy and Beeman’s gum and the latest trends, “Can you believe there are 13 flavors of Pucker Powder?” fill out the candy section.
Staying ahead of trends is important to the business. The allergy free section has been expanded and features Vermont Nut Free Chocolates and Divvies candy, popcorn and cookies that are dairy free, egg free and nut free. “It makes it so much more fun for families when they come in and everybody can get something, even if they’ve got allergies,” says Molyna. They’ve also partnered with weddingfavors.org to offer a wider range of customized favors for any event. Now customers can go on-line, find just what they’re looking for and Candy Castle can make it up using their own fresh candy right there in the shop. “If someone is looking for something special, we’ll find it. If it’s still being made we’ll get if for them,” adds Molyna.
What do the next 30 years hold for Candy Castle? Paul would like to add an additional shop or two in the area. “I never want it to lose the hometown feel, but I think the basic business model could work for a lot of towns.” Is the rest of the world ready for ‘Devil Dog Ice Cream Delight’?
Candy Castle will be celebrating throughout the month of November with “Rolling Roll Back Specials.” Each week there’ll be a featured item at 1981 pricing. So stop by, pick up a treat and wish Candy Castle a “Happy 30th Anniversary.”
