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Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Easter candy sales remain strong locally, nationally
As Easter approaches, one thing remains a constant amid some economic turbulence: customers continue craving sweet treats. Consumers plan to spend $23.6 billion on the spring holiday this year — up from $22.4 billion last year — with candy the overwhelmingly most popular item to purchase among 92% of shoppers, according to a survey released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The trend holds true at Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore and Hazleton-based Victoria's Candies. 'We're right on track and up about 5% from where we were last year,' said Maggie Calpin, owner of Nibbles & Bits on South Blakely Street. 'I think people like to eat their feelings … I said that during COVID and I'm saying it again with inflation. People like to snack — it gets them through their day.' * Nibbles and Bits sales associates Isabella Fanucci of Clarks Summit, front, and Leah Saravitz of Mayfield prepare candy for the case at the shop in Dunmore on Wednesday. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) * White chocolate chick ganache truffles at Nibbles and Bits in Dunmore. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 2 Nibbles and Bits sales associates Isabella Fanucci of Clarks Summit, front, and Leah Saravitz of Mayfield prepare candy for the case at the shop in Dunmore on Wednesday. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) Expand Calpin recently had patrons travel from Minersville, Bethlehem and Williamsport after learning about her vibrant shop on TikTok and WNEP's 'Home & Backyard' TV show. Paul Esposito, owner and president of Victoria's Candies, also noticed a swarm of customers leading up to Easter. 'Our demand has been up substantially because we're still making a very good, quality product,' he said. 'We haven't changed our sizes down to what other manufacturers have been doing, so people see great value in our products. I think that's why we're seeing increased sales. When people are spending money, they'd much rather spend it on quality than the average candy bar. We've been selling a lot of our hollow molds, Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Jelly beans seem to be a hot item this year, too.' In addition to its factory store on North Conahan Drive in Hazleton, Victoria's also has retail locations at the Laurel Mall in Hazle Twp. and the Gateway Shopping Center in Edwardsville. The survey found many consumers — 63% — are inspired by traditions while shopping for Easter-related items. Esposito, president of the Retail Confectioners Association of Philadelphia, feels customers often splurge on candy for the holidays. 'Seeing the trends across our industry, chocolates are always something people are willing to indulge in, even in hard times,' he said. For Calpin, similar to Valentine's Day and Halloween, Easter continues to become a bigger retail event. 'We've noticed the holidays are getting larger and larger,' she said. 'I've seen a lot of people getting gifts for the elderly. It's tradition, it's family, it's people thinking of each other, and I think people like it because it's happy.' Both businesses have been ramping up production and preparing for the final rush leading up to April 20. 'We make anywhere from 500 to 1,000 of each specialty item and we sell out,' Calpin said. 'We're on the third round of truffles. We keep pumping them out and everything is made fresh. It's a lot of 15-to-18-hour days. We've been shipping chocolates all across the country — Oregon, California and Texas. This week it's going to be a madhouse. In the past years, I think people prepared where now they have so much going on in their lives and they're waiting. Easter is later this year, so I think people are easing into it.' Esposito added workers at Victoria's have also been busy producing a variety of different candies. 'We have more than 300 different items for Easter,' he said. 'We introduce new chocolate molds each Easter season — whatever is trendy for the year, and the chocolate-covered divinity egg is really popular this time of the year. There are wait times in our stores, and we sell to other candy stores throughout the country and they're really busy, too. We're running at 100% capacity to keep up with demand.' Some of the best-selling Easter treats at Nibbles & Bits include caramel brownie carrots, chick Oreo pops, and s'mores with homemade marshmallow, Calpin said. Calpin noted the s'more — which features a little bunny butt and grass with edible Oreo dirt — is a new design this year. 'I'm already thinking about next year,' she said. 'It's kind of fun that everyone bounces around to their favorite stores.'
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New location, same quality service at Dolly's Boutique
SCRANTON — It's always a family affair at Dolly's Boutique. Started by her mother, Dolores 'Dolly' O'Boyle, nearly 40 years ago on Prescott Avenue in the city's Hill Section, owner Colleen Zwick moved the business — which outfitted generations of girls with prom dresses — to 117 Wyoming Ave. A grand reopening was held in January during the Downtown on Ice festival, which coincided with what would have been O'Boyle's 85th birthday. 'I was going to wait until the spring, and I was like, 'We're going to tie it all into one,'' Zwick said. O'Boyle, who died in June 2018, operated the shop for 33 years, and Zwick felt it was important to carry on the tradition of quality customer service. 'She really went way above and beyond for people and it's still like that today,' Zwick said. 'If they ask for something special, we'll try to get it in for them. I try to make sure I'm involved with every transaction, helping people out, and I think they appreciate it.' That personalized attention brings customers from different parts of the state and country into the store, said Zwick, who noted they seem to be traveling longer distances, including as far as Michigan. 'They're coming to look at the University (of Scranton) or any of the schools and they find us, and they usually end up finding stuff,' she said. 'I think social media plays a big part.' Zwick grew up around the business and previously served as a buyer as her mom was moving toward retirement. 'I'm one of five girls,' she said. 'After all the years of buying prom dresses, she got into it. She started with casual wear and it turned into this. When I came in (in 1999), we strictly went all prom (dresses).' Zwick recalls her mom's passion for attending fashion shows and knack for developing friendships with everyone. 'She loved going to New York — it was a big thing back then — but they also used to do them in Pittston because there were so many garment factories down the line,' she said. 'She had connections with everybody.' * Colleen Zwick, owner of Dolly's Boutique, inside her shop's new location on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) * A Jovani display at Dolly's Boutique in downtown Scranton. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) * Dolly Boutique's moved to a new location on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton after nearly 40 years in the Hill Section. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) * Dolores 'Dolly' O'Boyle (FILE PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 4 Colleen Zwick, owner of Dolly's Boutique, inside her shop's new location on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO) Expand Years of attending fashion shows with her mom and meeting representatives of the prominent suppliers led Zwick to pick up some of Dolly's habits. 'The owner of Jovani is the son of the original owner who my mother dealt with directly,' Zwick said. 'When I go to fashion shows with Jovani, we'll talk about it. She used to call and talk to him after hours and order stuff, and now I do it to (the son).' Being so closely tied to the business also helped Zwick build relationships with other colleagues. 'Some of my salesmen, I've known since I was a little kid,' she said. Among the biggest changes throughout the years have been a big increase in the types of fabrics and colors — even from 20 years ago — and the growth of social media, Zwick said. 'Whatever they see on social media, the kids want,' she said. 'Fortunately, we carry Sherri Hill and Jovani. The kids follow them on everything, and whatever they post, they come in looking for.' One thing has remained a constant, Zwick added. 'Our customers, thankfully,' she said. 'I have a lot of people who shopped with their kids and now they're bringing in their grandkids. That's kind of cool. I like them to go out of here feeling good and knowing they paid a good price. I love when they show me pictures of what they bought in the past and I like to post their photos if they'll let me.' Some changes within the neighborhood factored into the decision to move downtown, Zwick said. 'It was time,' she said. 'We were next to Allen's Pharmacy for all those years and he retired and moved. It was just not home anymore.' Developer John Basalyga purchased 117 Wyoming Ave. in 2022 and feels the move by Dolly's represents another example of the downtown's ongoing revitalization. The space was previously occupied by Salben's — a family-owned women's clothing store — until it closed in 1990. 'It seems more and more people are seeing value in being downtown, and there is some activity on that block,' said Basalyga, who added his firm is working on securing a tenant for the second floor. 'It's great … bringing back some of the businesses like we had many years ago.' Zwick, 49, of South Abington Twp., noticed her daughter, Julia, 15, a sophomore at Abington Heights High School, started spending more time around the business during the past year. 'I used to come in when I was little and try dresses on and now she's doing it,' Zwick said. 'She's really getting into it now and (the customers) love seeing her. She also wants to go to the shows, and the salespeople like to see her because they knew me when I was younger than her.' As another part of the family dynamic, Zwick's son, Brendan, 12, designed logos for the business and works on the website, she said. Leslie Collins, executive director of Scranton Tomorrow, a nonprofit community and economic development organization, stressed Dolly's excelled in its former location and she believes Zwick is well positioned to succeed in the new spot. 'Dolly's has been a staple in the Hill Section for decades and had a clientele that came from all over the region,' Collins said. 'She always had a great selection and always really focused on customer service. It's a great experience when you go into Dolly's, and we're beyond excited they relocated downtown. Colleen is standing on the foundation Dolly instituted and now she's had the opportunity to make great changes. And Colleen's daughter, if she has an interest in coming into the business, can provide her with great insight into what that demographic is looking for, too. 'We don't have many downtown businesses that are family owned from generation to generation anymore, so it's great to see a second- and possibly third-generation business thrive.' As Dolly's celebrates four decades in business this November, Zwick expressed optimism about the store's future. 'Hopefully we'll be around for another 40 years,' she said. 'People feel welcome when they come in; they feel like part of the family, which is what we try to keep going.'
