'We don't sell candies, we sell memories'

Candyland Market brings sweets & smiles to crowds across America

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 8/12/16

“We all become kids again in a candy store,” said Taylor Burke, manager of Candyland Market and Warehouse.

Burke is currently on the road, traveling to fairs across the country until November …

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'We don't sell candies, we sell memories'

Candyland Market brings sweets & smiles to crowds across America

Posted

“We all become kids again in a candy store,” said Taylor Burke, manager of Candyland Market and Warehouse.

Burke is currently on the road, traveling to fairs across the country until November to indulge the sweet teeth of more than 30,000 fairgoers daily with his pop-up candy shop, which offers more than 800 varieties of goodies.

Candyland Market began with Burke’s grandfather in 1953, selling fudge out of the back of a Cadillac at the local home show. As the fudge rose in popularity, regular selling sites were Rhodes on the Pawtuxet and the Pawtuxet Armory.

The operation came to include candy, and a storefront was opened in Warwick 40 years ago. For the past 20 years, the warehouse has been located just behind the airport at 86 Warwick Industrial Drive.

Candyland shops began popping up in malls across the country. At its peak there were 30 nationwide, but as Candyland became involved with the state fair circuit, its focus shifted.

Now, although the company continues to have a storefront at its Warwick locations as well as one at the Rhode Island Convention Center, Candyland Market’s 4,300-square-foot market is on the road for seven months out of the year. Currently, Burke is on a five-month stretch, which began in late July with the Ohio State Fair.

“Life on the road is not for everybody. It’s a lifestyle, but you get to travel all over the country seeing places and meeting people you wouldn’t be able to if you were working behind a desk at a nine-to-five,” Burke said. “You meet so many people and they become like your family. It is something different everyday.”

Burke, a self-described “chocoholic,” has been part of the family business since he was only six, going off with his parents to sell candy. He knows the business “inside and out.” He believes there is nothing better than working for oneself, growing a company that makes people happy.

The pop-up market feature 870 different varieties of candy, set up over 4,300 square feet like a maze. Customers are encouraged to take a basket and walk through, choosing from contemporary candy, homemade fudge, clusters and candy apples, as well as old-fashioned candy of “yesteryear.”

Burke explained that Candyland specializes in hard-to-find regional and local candies.

“It’s nostalgic for people,” he said. “We don’t sell candies, we sell memories. Whether you are 20 or 70, a piece of candy brings back fond memories of when you were a kid.”

Customers are always surprised to find their old favorite candy and often note they have been looking for it everywhere to no avail.

For each individual show there are approximately 120,000 pounds of sweets, taking three 18-wheelers to transport the goods for fairgoers. It takes anywhere between 700 and 800 man hours to prepare for the events.

Sherrill Sadowski, showroom manager for the Warwick site and one of the chocolatiers, said the homemade goods are just as popular if not more popular than the commercial goods. They make thousands of chocolates in house as well as nut clusters and candy apples.

She explained that the candy apples begin with a Granny Smith apple, and after layers of chocolate, caramel, toppings, and drizzle, the final product weighs about two pounds. For the “Big E” alone, the closest state fair Burke visits, the Candyland team makes 1,200 candy apples.

Burke said customers love homemade goods because there is more attention to detail and no one piece can be reproduced –they are all different.

“Our items are all unique. This is too labor intensive for big companies to make a buck, so our products are really special,” he said.

Burke believes that over the past 10 years the company has really perfected not only their formulas, but also their state fair display.

Candyland also does custom work for weddings and other big events out of their Warwick storefront. They similarly take requests for certain goods.

The Warwick site has grown mostly by word of mouth, and the customer base has still continued to expand year after year.

“This is a great business to be in,” Burke said. “It is really rewarding to see people smile every day because of what you do.”

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