#pennycandy — Public Fediverse posts
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As the last pennies are minted today in the U.S., I am reminiscing about all the years when my family's grocery/deli sold a wide assortment of penny candy. We had 1¢ bubble gum, 1¢ mini tootsie rolls in a dozen flavors, 2¢ cinnamon fire balls, 2¢ lemon balls, 2¢ peppermints, 3¢ Mary Jane taffy, 3¢ Laffy Taffy, 3¢ caramel creams, 3¢ root beer barrels, and 3¢ lollipops.
There was an elementary school about a block from our store, and the homeward-bound kids would stop in and dither for fifteen minutes deciding how to spend a dime or quarter, selecting three of this, four of that, while my dad waited patiently for them to choose. We stocked small-sized paper bags especially for the candy sales.
Our selection of penny stuff was pretty extensive from the 1970's through the 1990's. The last years we were in business, in the 2000's, a lot of the penny stuff went up to 3¢, and the 3¢ stuff went up to a nickel, and a few items went up to a dime or disappeared entirely. But right up until we closed in 2007, there were still some candies for a nickel or less, and the Penny Candy Brigade were loyal.
When we closed up, we put a sign on our window thanking all the people who had supported our business, and included a special shout-out to that Penny Candy Brigade.