Where the Selling Is Child’s Play

Nostalgic Toys and Candy Merchandise at Country and General Stores

By Genie Davis

Nostalgic candy and toys are strong sellers at country and general stores across the country. While not all stores carry these types of merchandise, the traditional ambiance of these locations encourages shoppers to partake of an old-fashioned treat or a classic toy.

At Pennsylvania General Store in Philadelphia, Pa., General Manager Helen Zhao has a big hit in nostalgic candy. “We carry Asher’s chocolatecovered pretzels as well as a variety of Pennsylvania-based regional candies,” she said. “We’re known in this region for our German pretzel style, and Asher’s is a really nostalgic candy, they’re fifth generation chocolate makers. That’s our number one seller.”

While the store sells only a limited number of toys, the items they do sell also tie into a deep sense of Pennsylvania history with merchandise such as coloring pillows and plush bears. “Our plush bear has a lot of appeal because it is designed to represent Ben Franklin, who was of course a key figure here in Philadelphia. The coloring pillow is a classic kind of toy style, and ours has the Liberty Bell and other fun iconic landmarks that the kids can color and interact with, which makes them genuinely fun educational toys.”

To sell more of these toys and nostalgic candy in the 700-square-foot store, Zhao relies on 30 large candy display counters, as well as displays for both toys and candy that “change with the season to feature whatever we are trying to focus on that month or week. We don’t really cross-merchandise our items.”

At the Fredericksburg General Store in Fredericks - burg, Texas, Seo Davis just took over as owner of the store on July 1. But she is already able to attest that “Nostalgic candy items sell better than any other kind because of the history of the store. People are looking for old-time candies when they come in here.” Among Davis’ top sellers are “Double Bubble, old-fashioned sugar stick candies, and cigar-style bubble gum candy. We do well with Pop Rocks and After Shocks, too.”

Among her top selling nostalgic toys are mini-gum ball machines, toy airplanes, and a yo-yo with small animals inside of it. The store also sells small toy basketballs and other vintage styles. Davis primarily displays

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