Smoky Mountain Gift Show Section

Taste Treat Trends (From page 54)

summer, but that kind of item will sell well in winter, too,” the manager observed. Customers also love Electric Avenue’s selection of bulk candy; bestsellers include jelly beans, old fashioned novelty candies, and licorice pastels.

At the Five and Dime General Store in Jackson, Wyo., shoppers make a beeline for huckleberry edibles from nearby Montana. “It’s a wild mountain berry, and the best time to harvest it is from midJuly to early August — a very short period of time,” noted Manager Steve Sykes . “And they’re very small berries, so picking them is very time consuming.” But it’s worth it for the distinctive taste of best-selling huckleberry licorice, jam, taffy, gummy bears, and more.

Huckleberry salt water taffy is the top item at Yippy I-O Candy Co. in nearby Jackson Hole. Artisanal cream and butter fudge and hand-dipped chocolates are also favorites. “We have millions of visitors here every year, people from all over the country,” noted Manager Lynn Jamison .

To suit a wide variety of tastes, the 1,100-squarefoot store carries over 1,000 kinds of candy, including Jelly Belly gourmet jelly beans, homemade salt