Resort Show Section

Where the Selling (From page 70)

fudge does super well, too, it’s the nostalgic items that really do sell. Some of our standouts are candy cigarettes, rock candy, and gum balls. If we can find it to order it, we have it,” she noted.

Current nostalgic toys in stock include “Gumby and Pokey, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Smokey the Bear, and those wooden rubber band replica guns,” Cathy stated. Merchandise is most often found online.

To sell more of the candy and toys the store carries, she said that “Within the store we display by category, which makes it easy for people to find what we carry. When we can, we set up little displays for the toys that makes them look very appealing.” The store’s location, however, is the biggest boost for sales. “We are in a very touristy location in the Goldfield Ghost Town, and all the resorts in Phoenix and the lower half of the state know about us and they’ll suggest a stop here to their guests. We’re one of the only wild west towns left in Arizona, and that really draws people in. The history also encourages them to buy items that are more nostalgic in nature.”

Finally, at the Main Street Country Store in Walworth, Wis., Sales Associate Morgan Berg , speaking for Rick Schoenbeck, president, said that despite the store’s “old fashioned country store” atmosphere, the candy and toys on offer are not particularly nostalgic. While there are unique décor and other items that evoke the past, including homemade donuts and Wisconsin cheese curds in the food category, when it comes to candy, Berg reported that “We have standard Snickers, Twix, peanut and chocolate Rice Krispies, things like that. Our toys tend to lean toward branded quality items like Melissa and Doug.”

To sell more of these items, she said, “We have our toys displayed on branded racks, and we frequently move them around the store to keep things fresh. Candy we just keep by the register.”

Overall, the old-fashioned atmosphere of country and general stores leads to selections of nostalgic candies and toys as merchandise, which fits the aesthetics of each store. And particularly when it comes to traditional candies, nostalgia never grows old. ❖