By Bruce Klauber
The Jersey Shore has no shortage of fine candy makers and retailers. Some that immediately come to mind are Steel’s, Fralinger’s, James, Shrivers, George’s, Douglass, and various others. And because everyone who partakes of sweets in this region probably has their favorites, it’s almost impossible to choose a “best” or a “finest.” Three of the more unique candy stores in the area, in terms of their singular histories and back stories, are Jagielky’s in Margate and Ventnor, the Sweet Shoppe in Smithville, and Kilwin’s in Ocean City.
And this is the perfect time of year to drop in for a visit for a last-minute gift, or for a personal sampling of utter deliciousness.
Jagielky’s, which frequently shows up on “best of lists,” has an unlikely beginning. If anyone of a certain age bought roasted peanuts at Philadelphia’s old Connie Mack Stadium, aka Shibe Park, chances are they were Jagielky’s Dixie Nuts, an operation founded by George Jagielky. As the story goes, Dixie Nuts started adding chocolate to the products they offered, and it didn’t take long until chocolate was all that George Jagielky was selling. George Jagielky, already a local legend among chocolate lovers, opened his Ventnor store in July of 1972.
When Jagielky retired, he passed his famed recipes to a family member, Mike Carr, and his wife Annamarie. Mike’s brother, Arthur, ran the Ventnor store. Sadly, Arthur died in a 1990 boating accident, and the store closed for almost two years. Mike stepped forward to reopen the Ventnor location two years later and also opened a Jagielky’s in Margate. To say that both locations “took off” is an understatement.
The selection is simply incredible, and it’s important to note that all of Jagielky’s one-of-a-kind confections are made each day in small batches in the Ventnor store. Just some of those confections include chocolate-covered blueberries, milk chocolate turtles, homemade marshmallow, and almond-butter crunch. Most of the treats are available in milk or dark chocolate, and there is also an extensive selection of sugar free candies.
In a piece written by Michael Miller for the Press of Atlantic City last summer, Carr said the reasons for the store’s success lie in simplicity, not over thinking the products, and keeping costs down. “To keep our costs down, we don’t have a very pretty box,” Carr said. “It’s a plain, yellow box. But everyone knows what’s in it.”
Though it’s impossible to determine what product is the biggest seller, Carr has noticed one trend. “Kids like milk chocolate. When they know better, they switch to dark,” he said.
The future for Jagielky’s? There will always be a market for a good product at a good price,” Carr says. He’s correct. Jagielky’s has been offering a good product at a good price for more than 50 years.
The Sweet Shoppe at the Village Green in Smithville also had its beginnings in Philadelphia. Mary Falcon, mother of long-time Sweet Shoppe owner Fran Coppola, ran an operation called the Falcon Nut and Candy Company, said to be the largest manufacturer of candy Easter eggs in the country. Philadelphia, believe it or not, was home to many of the nation’s leading candy makers in the 19th and 20th century, and played a key role in the development of the American candy industry. Falcon was founded in the 1940s and had a plant at 23rd and Carpenter St.
Falcon’s daughter, the ageless Fran Coppola, told Flavor Magazine’s Maria Wolf last year that she recalled helping out at the factory when she was a child. “I was born and raised in the candy business,” she said. “I remember folding boxes when I was eight years old.” Coppola calls candy “the food of the gods,” which certainly helps in the candy business.
The Sweet Shoppe was originally a restored barn that dates back to the 1950s, when a couple named Fred and Ethel Noyce began building the village. Coppola has owned the store since 1990, and she’s not only in love with her products, but she’s in love with her business. “I love my little store,” she told Maria Wolf.
Like Jagielky’s, the Sweet Shoppe’s selection of confections is beyond extensive, but there’s an added twist. In addition to the roasted nuts, fudge, the chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs, customers will find a wonderful collection of what used to be known as “penny candy.” If anyone is looking for ice cubes, pop rock candy, bubble gum cigars, satellite wafers, lollipops, flying saucers, and the essential liquid-filled wax bottles, the Sweet Shoppe is the place.
“People come in and remember the candy they ate at the corner store or when their grandmother used to take them to Smithville,” Coppola says. “They bring in pictures of themselves in front of the candy store when they were little, and now they take pictures of their kids in front of the Sweet Shoppe.”
Coppola doesn’t hesitate when she’s asked about the store’s most popular product. Without doubt, it’s double-dipped chocolate covered pretzels. But these are not simply chocolate-dipped pretzels. Coppola explains, “Some pretzels are covered in M&Ms, toasted almonds or white and dark chocolate chips. Some are dotted with raspberry buds. Some are covered in shredded coconut. Some have bits of marshmallow. And some are coated in sea salt and drizzled with milk chocolate.”
One of the things that has made the Sweet Shoppe work successfully for more than three decades is Coppola’s attitude. “I love to work,” she says. “I don’t play golf or cards. Working is what I do. When you have a store that’s yours, you have a different mentality about work.”
And yes, for those who need to know, Fran Coppola is 81 and says she has no intention of retiring. “It’s a beautiful thing to make people happy,” she says.
Kilwins, which opened in Ocean City’s downtown shopping district in September, has more than 160 franchises in 28 states. The company has been making candy since 1947, and since day one, have been dedicated to making top quality products, to customer service, and to making sure the customer has one heck of an experience during every visit.
One of the features that makes the Ocean City store so special is that, in addition to their Heritage Chocolates, handcrafted fudge, caramel corn and brittle; Kilwins also has what they call Original Recipe ice cream. And they’ve been serving this super premium ice cream in their stores, made in small batches, since 1985.
Since its opening more than 70 years ago, Kilwins has been dedicated service, quality, and pride in their tradition. From day one, Don and Katy Kilwin’s desire was simple: to make the very best products that they possibly could.
The process of making their candies is as extraordinary as the products themselves. In the high-temperature cooking area, Kilwins uses new equipment, but some of the same equipment that has been in use for years. Further, the store has special storage facilities and trucks geared specifically for temperature and humidity control. But make no mistake about it. Almost everything that’s sold is made—by hand—in Kilwins’ cold room. There is no substitute, Kilwins believes, for making the candy by hand.
Ocean City, deservedly, welcomed Kilwins with open arms. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating opening of the new store on September 30. In attendance were store owners, John and Dian Dabek, and their son, Dave, and chamber officials.
At the ceremony, Michele Gillian, Executive Director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, made the following remarks: “We welcome Kilwins to Ocean City, New Jersey, and we thank you for investing, Dian and John. Kilwins is a great place. I feel like I am in Charleston, South Carolina. It makes me think of so many wonderful things when I walk in that door. Thank you for investing. And thanks for all you do for Ocean City.”
After the ribbon was cut, customers filled Kilwins and enjoyed a free sampling of just some of their one-of-a-kind confections, including caramel, fudge, their very special caramel apples, ice cream and chocolates.
While Ocean City has no shortage of candy retailers, John Dabek said he became an owner of a Kilwins franchise because of the quality of the products. “What intrigued us about Kilwins is the quality and wholesomeness of their brand,” Dabek said. We think that it fits extremely well with Ocean City. We are Ocean City residents, and when Rauhauser’s closed, we wanted to bring that kind of quality candy back to Ocean City. We are real proud to offer the highest quality chocolate and ice cream on the island.”
The consensus of opinion among those who have visited the Ocean City store since its September opening have been unanimous in their praise. One customer summed it up perfectly by saying, “The opening of Kilwin’s in Ocean City has made our town even sweeter.”
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
