Necco 1901-2018???: The Quest For Necco Candy At Sweeties Candy Shop | Retail Archaeology

[@_thebirdking_]

Great video and showcase of our products. I worked at NECCO for the last 5 years. This past Tuesday they shuttered the plant and ceased all operations. While I was only there the 5 years, there are many employees with over 25 years in the company, and even some over 35 years. They/we got nothing. It wasnt the most popular candy, but the market was big enough to keep 200+ full time workers on year round with another 3 to 400 seasonal hires from Sept to Feb. The oldest continuously operating confectioner in the U.S., since 1847, ends on a mysterious note amid multiple investment firms' cloak and dagger business tactics.

[@colinsdad1]

I grew up in Western Massachusetts and used to hit up NECCO on our way down to Misquamicut Beach.... REALLY sad to hear how that Company "took care" of their employees. I'm trying to find work, and, at 46, it's astounding how much things have changed, and, not for the better!

[@dominic5386]

Such a shame that my great-great-great grandfathers legacy will be disappearing soon, he created the skybar for Necco

[@roxcyn]

Dominic Cangemi - Dominic, that's my life. I love that one and it's up there as my favorite candy bar. 😛

[@TGill]

Poison who gives a shit what you believe? Think it matters to him or any of us?

[@roxcyn]

Poison - it's on the wikipedia page.

[@paxhumana2015]

You could quit your damn bitching and whining and take over the damn company and make new and innovative products for the company instead, Dominic Cangemi. Seriously, if the companies want to fold, then they should disband the unions, get rid of dishonest non-union people, and let all new people run the companies under The Golden Rule. Alternatively, another good company could buy it out and the company that would be best for taking over Necco would be the Russell Sifers Candy Company from Merriam, Kansas.

[@Stealthborn]

I will admit that Necco could have done more when it came to innovation but why incorporate the law of reciprocity into this? The company just took on a lot of debt. Regardless, it will still be quite sad when they go unless they pull a Hostess or something. I will miss the Sky Bar the most since it was a unique candy.

[@chuckpatterson8895]

Your daughter is awesome. Kid’s opinions are the best when it comes to candy.

[@MartinKronstrom]

That store has the highest concentration of sugar and smile per square inch.

[@dalethelander3781]

Martin Kronström I felt like a kid again watching this. So much to wonder at.

[@zacharyouten4525]

You’re not fooling anyone, I know the necco topic was just an excuse to go to the candy store lol I always did enjoy necco products. Here in the Appalachian mountains where I live, there are a chain of old general stores that sell tons of classic candy, including necco

[@actipton80]

Are you referring to Mast General Stores? I love going in there to buy candy, but I don't get to go very often.

[@zacharyouten4525]

Allison Tipton yep sure am, my favorite one is in boone

[@chaddeez8446]

@@zacharyouten4525 nice. I'm in Hickory and haven't been up there in years, but love going to those stores.

[@scar89]

If that "ice chocolate" is the same like "Eiskonfekt" here in Germany (what I guess) then it is a special kind of chocolate, that melts immediately, when it's in your mouth. Most people keep it in their fridge, so it keeps cold cause it tastes better this way and doesn't melt away, when the temperature is getting a little bit higher. That's why it's calles "ice chocolate". :)

[@AKayfabe]

Ice Cubes it is called here and its SO good

[@UglyArtwork]

In Canada we have "Icy Squares". Nobody turns down an Icy Square!

[@Pugetwitch]

We used to have a little product here that they sold in squares called ice cubes. When I was a kid those were my favorites. Maybe that's what's featured in the video, I don't know because I'm under halfway into it at this point! I look forward to seeing if that's the same kind of chocolate, it definitely melted in your mouth really quick. I used to love it! They were $0.30 at the mini Mart Van my cousin's house that used to sell us cigarettes when we were only 12 years old. Lol

[@Pugetwitch]

@@AKayfabe hell yeah, I responded before I read your comment. I want one right now!

[@brycevo]

I worked at a calendar, novelty, and toy store, and we couldn't sell the Necco candies for the life of us. The only person who bought them was the wife of a cancer patient. She said they helped her husband get his blood glucose back quicker. I hope they stuck around.

[@Dicegirl72]

Necco wafers were invented by a pharmacist as troche / lozenge medication delivery systems and then marketed is a candy thereafter. In some compounding pharmacies today, they are still used to deliver medications in lozenge / troche form

[@fionaanimates8692]

There’s this place in Parma Ohio, it’s called ‘B -A-Sweetie. It’s basically a Costco FULL of candy, pop, and they even have a BAKERY AND A GOLF COURSE!!!! It’s my favorite place to go

[@BillyLapTop]

Sorry to hear Necco may be closing. I used to pick up trailer loads of scrap candy at the Revere, MA plant and take it to feed plants who processed and used it in animal feed. I always hit the company store at Revere and loaded up on Skybars and Wafers and give them away along my routes. Tough times for candy companies. I also picked up at Hershey's in Hershey, PA and they are having issues too, as candy sales are down all over. Difference though between Hershey and Necco is the Hershey Company is a trust and can't be sold, despite the shenanigans of some foxes in the corporate hen house trying to make it happen. The attorney general of the state of Pennsylvania had to get involved and clean out the traitors. As for Necco, I can remember 70 years ago getting Skybars at the barber shop for being able to sit still and get a hair cut, as a reward. One of my favorite words is rapacious. One of its definitions is "keeping live prey." In essence, a leveraged buyout is a process of keeping a company going and draining every drop of cash out of it, then chapter 13, or 11 but ultimately 7 bankruptcies take place. It is designed to only benefit the financiers who put it into play in the first place and a banquet for the lawyers who create the continuity process of "keeping the prey" alive long enough to suck it dry. The goal never was to make any investments and keep the enterprises going. It is only a way to chop up and take the value out of a company and leave all others destitute.

[@banosnapper]

Cute kid. That segment at the end is adorable. ....And she's right, the tropical are better/more flavorful 😊

[@Dicegirl72]

" ice cubes" somehow feel cold in your mouth while the chocolate is melting. I think they were even around when my mom was a kid in the 1950s

[@sirarmysuit9848]

Dicegirl72 We have a similar thing in the UK called Ice Cups. The choc feels weirdly cold when melting.

[@borrellipatrick]

I live in Massachusetts and there's not a peep from anybody here about the company being in danger. I had no idea untill today 😨

[@watershed44]

patrick borrelli That is strange, maybe the owner trying to drum up interest in the company before they try and sell it?

[@MichaelRabbitBass3]

patrick borrelli same here in Georgia.

[@sarahhorses14]

I thought Sweeties Candy Store was just a local candy store in Ohio. I didn't know there was in Arizona!

[@cjhernandez9758]

Oh NO Not NECCO!!! Necco was one of my candy brands when I was growing up.

[@JDKukis]

I work at Dollar Tree and we carry Necco Wafers. I haven't seen it selling like crazy. Maybe I will very soon.

[@Mecal00]

You're in my neck of the woods. I've never been there though, but will go today! I had no idea it was so huge!!

[@jballew2239]

Necco's still turn up at farm stores, etc. The nearby "Rural King" and "Tractor Supply" both carry them, as well as many other older/off brands. (Necco "Sky Bars", for example).

[@MinoTheShow]

Always a delight when your daughter shows up, she cracks me up 🤣 “Purple and sea-green”

[@where7847]

that store is pretty sweet.....ill be here all week.

[@mg222.]

You missed the clove flavored wafers :p. The Skybar is by far my favorite Necco product!

[@graywolf2694]

oh man i wish i had a store like that by me

[@tichdaddy1]

Great video. Your daughter must think that you are the coolest Dad in the world! Hold on to that :)

[@Themightymoze]

Super fun video! Like stepping directly back in time- an experience so real you can [almost] taste it! The C. Howard's Violet are my all time favorite classic candy! (The lemon flavor are my second favorite)..

[@charlottesometimes2944]

DAMN you took me back man. those stupid dots, my dad would bring them home after work and that meant a lot to me. he died a few years after my parents got divorced, but he always gave me the damn dots after he got home from work.

[@ScottHough]

My mom loves Necco. I showed her the video and now she's planning a trip up from Tucson to visit that store. :P

[@actipton80]

I'd be in hog heaven if I could go to a candy store like that. Mary Janes and Squirrel Nut Zippers are two caramel candies that Necco makes that I will miss when they disappear from candy stores. I don't get to buy them often because there isn't a bulk candy store near me that has them. I should get some Necco wafers the next time I'm at the mall if the candy store there hasn't run out by then. I like the chocolate ones the best.

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

I'm not surprised Necco is going away. That candy is awful. Anything that has the consistency of chalk is absolutely terrible. It's like candy that time forgot. When I think of this candy, I also picture bi-planes, Ford Model Ts and iron lungs.

[@roxcyn]

Helvetica Scenario - they make other goodies though.

[@SteveCarras]

Gasp! Blasphemy! I love them.

[@JazzyBabe56]

I've never seen a store like this dedicated to just candy up here in Canada....I'd love to visit one of those as well! thanx for the tour!

[@basshead2003]

Jazzy Babe - We have a few of them here in Halifax; Freak Lunchbox being the biggest and the best.

[@JazzyBabe56]

they need to open in Ontario! ^_^

[@robo08ify]

I’m 70 years old and I still have 3 of those foam airplanes unopened in the top drawer of my bureau. If I remember correctly, Necco was bought by the company that makes Dum-Dum lollipops.

[@MusingsofAudi]

I saw chick-o-sticks! I love those. Thanks for the awesome vid.

[@Allthingshotels]

Necco, the sweethearts of Valentine's Day

[@Shwalker07]

This was a sweet video. I never seen the Wonder Balls since the 90's. The only thing missing is the Ghostbusters HI-C Etco cooler in the drink section.

[@gummybearlesbianmafia]

That candy store is amazing! Its my childhood in store form 😁. Next time I'm up in Phx I'm gonna head over and check it out and load up on so many good things. It's sad about Necco I hope they find a buyer for their business. Thank you for sharing this gem of a candy store with us.

[@aceelliottcentralcoastchic6644]

I miss all the old time candy stores.. FYI all Smarties Candy's are all vegan candy's.. I just learned that just recently.. thank you for the video.. love what you do..

[@thevashfan12392]

the nostalgia is so thick I'm choking on it!

[@MDavis-zy6nz]

3:06 Whatchamacallit candy bar...now there goes some childhood nostalgia!

[@watershed44]

Retail Archaeology Great store, we don't have anything like this near us....My Mom remembers Necco wafers, sky bar and clark bars. I also love Charms pops! and Charms blow pops! Pop rocks too. Remember the myth about pop rocks and diet soda?

[@ElationProductions]

Brings back memories of when we used to have candy shops around here. Not many left now though. I recognized and loved the Ice Cubes. Just chocolate in roughly the shape of an ice cube.

[@as6110]

I'm probably more sad about Necco going under than I am about TRU. I love those chalky wafers.

[@critikul1]

Thank you for your videos! I used to take my son to this candy store. We moved and I think about this place a lot. We would get candy At least once a week and we always would get the bug candies. This made my day!!!

[@anotherhuman8211]

This place used to be located 2 miles south in a plaza where Sweeties used to located. Now the space once occupied by Sweeties is now a Sprint and a spa place. When I used to go there, it was getting crowded and they needed more room + they were doing pretty well to they moved to that Pollack plaza a few years back.

[@rexoliver7780]

Despite the sugar and all-love the film of this place-this should be near movie theaters so folks can get their favorite candies before the show!!!The largest concessions stand!!!

[@Idelia412]

This video makes me feel so old! LOL Necco regular size wafers cost 5 cents when I was a kid!

[@faviolagonzalez2997]

Seeing them jelly beans reminded me of when I recently went and visited the jelly belly factory Ahhh all the Mexican candy there I need! I've never seen that big of a candy store before

[@CommodoreFan64]

My fiance who was recently diagnosed as diabetic, and walked by my computer while I was watching this video, and just gave me a really sour look on her face, as she is still getting use to having to change her diet, and I've been trying to do better about my candy intake as well in support of her, but I do sneak some every now and then with Reese's cups being my weakness, but seeing that Big League Chew really took me back to playing little league baseball as a kid, as our coach always had a few bags in the dugout next to the water cooler along with sunflower seeds.

[@jamesmcmahan1236]

Fun place, I’d dig all the vintage candy! Love the Dreammaster game music! Fitting since you feed candy to the animals in that game!

[@nathanatwood1047]

Wish we had a store like that in Nashville, TN I would spend a lot of money there. Enjoyed the "Little nemo" tunes.

[@chrismoore1932]

Thank you... I knew I knew it was nes

[@pixelsandwich4104]

Love your channel. I work right down the road from this place. So hard to resist going in for candy all the time.

[@Echolyris212]

😂 I love how much you love Mexican candy and food. Once I saw you show the Mexican aisle, I thought “oh for sure he’s had those before or is going to have some.” 😂😂

[@goodwi11]

We used to dose Necco wafers with LSD in college...other than that they're awful.

[@jballew2239]

Different time (mid 1970's), I have good memories of a sleeve of Necco wafers, and a saturday matinee in a very small town in far north Michigan. We'd all get a sleeve each of the multi flavor ones, then trade for the ones we wanted. "Smarties" were another movie favorite, and I had cousins that were jealous because they were not yet common in Texas.

[@AKayfabe]

i absolutely LOVE necco wafers especially the clove one (purple) and we do not even have all this candy at the store here. geez. I love old time candy better than others. Zagnut bars and Necco and Mary Janes and Violet mints yummy.

[@bundangbear]

OMG ME TOO~!!! I still love them though.

[@andrewr7982]

Shawn?

[@Sharkyyo_o]

That candy that you could write messages with on the candy gave me major nostalgia , I remember them never working how I wanted them to but they were fun . Also the Mexican candy looked so good and reminds me of my childhood , great vid as always :)

[@904czv4]

Another great video! I used to love those ‘cigarette’ candies. I remember you could blow into them and some powder would come out so it would look like smoke. God knows what that powder was! And charms! That is really a blast in the past, Mr. Erik! Lol!

[@ladytron9188]

904 CZV we had them in the uk to. Started me on my lifetime of nicotine addiction 😟

[@FateBoost]

Lady Tron No one suggested you to swap sweets with cancer causing chemicals.

[@SteveCarras]

Mr.Erik?

[@mikemoos]

Plenty of cancer causing chemicals in sweets. c:

[@philipbridler]

Corn starch.

[@rachelgreene1013]

Love the juggalo over the faygo

[@9250td]

This video was amazing! I love old fashion candy stores like this...

[@alexandermckay8594]

That's insane. I've never seen so many candies in one place before. And have never heard of about 70% of them as well. Amazing!

[@megntambe]

Wow great shop! I love Jelly Bellys but there are no more of those big dispensers near me anymore 😕

[@AmeX189]

I always come here! Great coverage!

[@craigvancleave2874]

I just moved like 2 miles from here I'm going to have to go check this place out now!

[@rwdplz1]

15:09 She LOOKS like she's just sitting there patiently but she's really thinking, "JUST GIVE ME THE CANDY OLD MAN!!!"

[@Cassie-jv4cz]

The "iced Chocolate" cubes are so good :) you should get some next time :D

[@lexa_power]

You passed by both my favorites - mamba and the Australian licorice! Highly recommended especially since you said you like candy from other countries. I’m also a “sucker” for that blue raspberry lollipop and the Japanese candy. The pocky with the nuts on them are a favorite of mine, but my local Walmart and Target here in Los Angeles sell them! A lot of the Asian grocery stores sell them too. I am excited to go to Mexico next week because I like to pick up some of those Mexican snacks and candies that you were looking at. I honestly can’t say I’m a big fan of any of the Necco products. I’m a bold flavors / sour flavors gal.

[@jimmymelendez1836]

Man, some of these candies you've shown I really remember. The one cany you've shown in the Asian candy section is the little rice candy with the wrapping paper. You can eat the inner wrappiing. The Botan Rice candy. I remember getting those in Chinatown in Chicago as a kid.

[@MindGem]

I would definitely buy a lot of stuff from that store. all those arcade and casette tape candy things.

[@chgojoearchivist]

One of my favorites from in that store were the Lemonheads and anything made by Ferrara Pan Candy Co., like Boston Baked Beans and Now and Laters. These all used to be 10 cent candy in the 1980s as a kid. Ferrara Pan is the pride and joy of Forest Park, Illinois! Another in a line of famous Chicago made candy!

[@rexoliver7780]

Oh my remember NECCO wafer candy from the old days-bought them at movie theaters-would get several rolls and gnaw on them during movies!!!Later at a workplace found the NECCO wafer rolls in the vending machines for snacks.Me and another guy bought the NECCOs out and stashed them away-eat them later.Will miss NECCO!!!!also ate Life Savers,Red Hots and Jaw Breakers at theaters!Don't see those anymore.

[@legaleaglefeathers1347]

Aw, it's really cute when you & your daughter do stuff together on the channel :D It's awesome to see a lot of father-daughter bonding time. This is the kind of stuff kids remember and cherish for a long time. ^^

[@stormyalice]

Wow. That's a huge store. Reasonably priced for a candy store, too. I miss the goo candies.. saw some there and I haven't seen them since the late 90's/early 2k. Guess I'm running to a Cracker Barrel to grab the Necco stuff they have. I think I'd be 300+ lbs and happy if I ever worked at a candy shop.

[@charlottesometimes2944]

charms were in most millatary rations as a way to give servicemen a way to get quick caloric intake without being thirst provoking. they date back to ww2. i know this because of steve1989 at mre.info. im not trying to sell his shit, thats just how i know about charms lol

[@hillyhills2787]

And the guys say it’s cursed when they are out in the field if anyone had them with them while training. The weather will be horrible or something will happen. Lol

[@roseprevost8081]

I remember Slap Stix! Loved them!

[@dadoctah]

People are really going to realize that Necco is gone come February, because they also make Valentine Sweet Hearts. I'm going to have to check out this store this weekend. Haven't seen them in a while, but I know Mentos makes a cola-flavored variety, and I'm also going to see if they've got any of the British chocolates that I used to be able to find at Cost Plus. Will also be looking at the mutant soda flavors, since I was pretty pleased with a 4-pack of sweet corn soda I once got at BevMo and this may give me a current source for it.

[@SleeplessStreams]

Purple and sea green are great color choices.

[@ShootAgainArcade]

wow, that place was huge! i was as surprised as you were to see those planes. i used to buy those all the time in the late 80's at our little neighborhood candy store/deli. and you're right.. the package looks exactly the same

[@kellirospierski8583]

I love seeing the Faygo! I live in Michigan and it's a local pop (soda) so I always thought it was hard to find it anywhere else in the country

[@parsifal40002]

I loved Charms candy!! They have been around for years! I ate Charms when I was in elementary school in the early 60s!!! If I weren't a diabetic, I would spend a day in this store and spend a ton of money here!!

[@lowieblack751]

Rocky road candy bar is one my favorite as growing up.

[@SteveCarras]

The kid's adorable, I agree, at 5:17 is when she actually appears though both the host and his little kid appear at the end..and I agree with him on sour candy YECK!

[@artrivers3487]

My God!! You found paradise!!!

[@Idelia412]

Big Hunk was five cents and a favorite of mine. The company also make Look which was basically a big hunk covered in choclate.

[@rubym357]

Blow Pop addict here! So sad that Necco might be leaving us! Never saw black cherry BPs in NYC though... You see Tunnock's anywhere?

[@its__Ev]

Check your local world market for tunnoks. They have the tea cakes and snowballs and somtimes the carmel wafer things

[@chrismcnair]

I have not been to a candy shop in years. Doesn't help I am Type 1 Diabetic but soo many memories. I love black cherry pops as well.

[@BubbleGumDexter23]

Neon Beach bubble gum was awesome. The squeeze tube of fruity gum with bright plastic to hang around your neck. Wish it was still around.

[@hollyphilippa5882]

I love violets!! They're amazing

[@mrspock312]

I always liked Pop Rocks.

[@debbiem9218]

Love the candy buttons by Necco. Sugar Mountain, our nostalgia candy store, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, has been out of them for quite awhile. They just keep telling us that their shipper in Vancouver, British Columbia hasn't been sending any. I have to wonder if they know that Necco is on the way out. I sure am sure gonna miss those buttons-but it is a bit expensive to buy those two sleeves for $1.99 up here. I don't really mind though because I just love the buttons. Thanks for the info. Enjoyed your videos on Sears, they're not in Canada anymore, so sad!

[@marianyhc]

This was lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[@alicesonallmother2327]

i actually bought a pack of Necco Wafers because of this video, and ate it while enjoying the 8-Bit Chip Tunes.

[@colinsdad1]

FOAM AIRPLANES FTW!!! OMG.... That and a bag of plastic army guys kept me entertained for HOURS back in the day!! And, as a New Englander, REALLY sad to hear about NECCO.... Yet another loss from my childhood...

[@brainlikesieve]

We have a couple candy shops like this in the area. Rocket Fizz is a lot like this, complete with the sodas. Another is Lolli and Pops, though they tend to go toward the gourmet, more expensive candies. Cracker Barrel used to carry NECO and had the decade packs of candies (likes 70s or 80s candies). The funny thing is, I never found NECO candies that good. Now if someone takes Smarties away, wer'e all doomed.

[@gordontaylor2815]

Which Smarties are you talking about, the American ones or the Canadian "not-quite-M&Ms"?

[@brainlikesieve]

Gordon Taylor American Smarties for sure!

[@audreyyishere]

I honestly never really liked the wafers but we used them to practice for our first communion (since I go to a catholic school) and we always were excited when we got the brown-ish ones that tasted like Chocolate XD

[@9patriko]

Always had Necco Wafers when I was a kid, still do find them today.

[@syxepop]

I haven't seen in the upper comments about an update on Necco's financial troubles.... Well, I've read that Necco has just been bought on bankruptcy court by Springer Confectionery, another "old time" candy manufacturer, which means they're willing to keep at least most of Necco's brand names being kept on production, like what happened when Hostess and Wonder Bread were bought (by separate companies) a while ago.

[@wizard3z868]

i live north of em in nh yesterday they shutdown told all 230 employes no more work it was just a lockout in acple of days they can get last pay check :(

[@aspfilms1085]

Awesome video, I grew up in Chandler and never knew this candy place existed. Moved to Prescott in 2010 after my Air Force enlistment was over. This is off the topic, but have you ever been to the Prescott Gateway Mall in AZ? I wouldn't say that it's a dead mall, but probably a dying mall. Last time I was there was a couple years ago & it looked a lot like your videos on dying malls. Food court had just a couple vendors, looked like a ghost mall with a lot of vacant retail spaces. The anchor stores (Dillard's - Sears - JCPenney were still operating at that time) not sure now. I've watched a lot of your videos, thanks for uploading them. You mention a lot of the classic Arizona places I remember. (Fiesta Mall, Bashas market, Organ Stop Pizza, etc) I went to Dobson High School, class of 1995. Was wondering if you could produce a video about Golfland in Mesa if it's still around??? Used to go there in the 1980's & early 1990's. It had a sweet 2-floor video game arcade, pizza shop, mini-golf & of course huge waterpark. Thanks, Aaron

[@Nokorola]

Where were the NECCO Sky Bars? I love Sky Bars!

[@dontyouhateitwhen...8312]

My city doesn't even have a candy store, unless you count Party City. I'm also a sucker for any fruity flavor candy.

[@CoderatheGreat]

I personally was never a big fan of Necco Wafers, but to each their own. I was wondering in the back of my mind why I don't remember seeing any Necco products these days, perhaps this is why.

[@gordontaylor2815]

I think one of the problems here is that people don't know what candy they make besides the wafers - they've never effectively promoted the other candy as a "Necco Brand Product". (The Sweethearts Candy Hearts seen all the time at Valentine's Day are probably the best-known brand they have, but there's lot more than that!)

[@LiciaRebecca]

Best. Dad. Ever! Also, the rice candies are my favorite as well! ^^

[@tphx1213]

I need to get some of those scorpion suckers. Those are awesome. I drive by there a lot and always wanted to stop in but never have. Big mistake.

[@KoubuPilot]

Same thing happened with Hostess several years ago. People were crazy about it when it was only gone for a while.

[@Silvafootfamily525]

Saw strawberry Charleston chew in the video. Haven’t seen those anywhere near me for 10+ years.