Words from the Parkside Candy Company’s original Brochure: “In the measurable count of time, it is only a few short years since two destinies were molded by a vision. Man and wife they were, building their hopes for the future on a modest candy store. There by day the woman sold sugared sweets, while the man gave his time to teaching in a nearby school. Then one day came a vision, a vision of a candy shoppe that would surpass even the most modern in its beauty and convenience…”
The Parkside Candy Company, located on the corner of Main Street and Winspear, just across the street from the University at Buffalo’s South Campus, is an often-overlooked treasure. Many students have stumbled lushly by the wearied brick exterior returning from a rowdy night at Molly’s Pub or the Steer without giving Parkside Candy a deserving second glance.
The blend of cordial nooks and placid lighting utilized in the oval shape of the Parkside Candy serving room accent the ivory domed ceiling, while authentic walnut fixtures outline the archways of doors and decorate the walls above display cases filled with an abundance of decadent treats. Architect and Engineer, G. Morton Wolfe harmonized with an Adamesque style of design, combining Neoclassical, Egyptian, Gothic, and Etruscan architecture throughout the confectionary, which has served the Buffalo area since 1927.
Golden, cylindrical lights illuminate the room from the perimeter while three unique lamp fixtures pose in a line down the center of the store. Throughout the years, many a coat, hat, and scarf have been hung on the curved hooks that jut out of the pistachio green illuminators.
“It is fascinating to see what past generations could build; they had plumbing and everything,” says Betty Cutler, a 13-year employee of the shop. “This place reminds me of can-can dancers in a western saloon.” Cutler’s job title is stated simply: Kitchen Fountain Person.
Behind the candy shop sits a large red brick building bearing the weathered words, “Parkside Candy Inc. Office.” It is beyond the black rusting door where the confectionary magic begins—in Parkside’s candy factory.
The sunlight pours through factory windows, re-creating the theory mentioned in the Parkside Candy brochure: “Some patrons tell us we seem to get that very sunshine into our Parkside confections. We try to.”
Chocolate sweets and sugary candies to amuse any palate overwhelm the display cases and tables scattered throughout the shop. Truffles stuffed with amaretto liquor, milk chocolate, flavorful Irish crème, or decadent caramel tempt the senses while traditional gummy worms, Swedish fish, and lollipops sit ready to pounce a sugar rush on the next innocent victim.
Mixed nuts, Brazils, chocolate covered almonds and cashews, and chocolate drenched pretzels are also available for those who prefer the sinful combination of salty and sweet. For those confused, health-conscious souls that somehow landed in a confectionary heaven, sugar free varieties of cordial cherries, gummy bears, truffles, and caramels provide plenty of tasty options. Holiday seasons tend to be the most profitable business weeks for candy production, with Valentine’s Day taking the cake.
Seasonal milk chocolate turkeys, pumpkins, and candy corn wrapped in festive holiday colors currently adorn the tables of the shop. Even the Buffalo favorite treat of sponge candy is tucked into a bag dolled up in pumpkin graphics.
Cutler explains, “The sponge candy can only be made during the cooler months of the year because it gets too stringy and mushy in the summer.” Parkside Candy must plan accordingly, so that their supply does not dwindle before the summer heat disappears.
A full service ice cream fountain serves shakes, sundaes, old-fashioned parfaits, and frappes. Cutler believes the biggest seller is the guilt-laden hot fudge sundae. She says, “We give a nice portion of whipped cream.”
The Merrimac, The Winspear, The University, and The Main Street all mimic the names of streets in close proximity to the candy shop and serve as the names of specialty deli sandwiches of the roast beef, turkey, ham, and chicken salad varieties.
Recently, business has been negatively affected by the relentless construction consuming Main Street. Employee Amanda Rumsey says she has had a few customers mention to her that they did not even know the shop was open behind the construction barriers.
Frequenting the candy store this past summer, Rachel Elzufon, a sophomore dance major at UB, has not had much time to get to South Campus since school started. She notes that the Main Street construction played a sad, but realistic role in her reason for not returning to Parkside Candy in the fall. She says, “Dealing with all of that construction is just too much.”
Parkside Candy, with its now fractured neon signs and rusting paint, still holds true to the institution of providing unique sweets, luncheons, and ice creams to friends and patrons in a timeless manner. As their original brochure proudly states, “The vision prompted by the joy of serving only good things has become real.”
“I know this is super corny, but seriously, your problems just kind of disappear there,” Elzufon says. Kind of like the tiny chocolate buffaloes that melt away in your mouth.
