Countdown to candy: Memphis sweets shops brace for Halloween demand
Owner Gary Wilkes (right) and nephew, Kelly Hardcastle sell sweets at Wayne's Candy Co., a candy shop in Downtown Memphis founded in 1947. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
With Halloween just days away, bulk candy sellers are approaching the home stretch of their busiest season.
Preparations for trick-or-treaters bring droves of Mid-Southerners to Wayne’s Candy Co. at 164 E. Carolina Ave., where shoppers can buy candies in large quantities, some spending up to $1,000 at a time.
A picture of original owner Wayne Wilkes hangs on the wall of Wayne's Candy Co. in Downtown Memphis. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
“We get some people that just go absolutely nuts,” said Gary Wilkes, second-generation owner of the family business his late father, Wayne, founded in 1947.
The Candy Man Can: Downtown’s candy shop sees Halloween sugar rush
He said Wayne’s Candy saw record-breaking sales during the 2023 Halloween season.
“There was this desire right after COVID to just get back to normal, and Halloween has been especially big since then,” Wilkes said.
To keep up with Halloween demand, Wayne’s Candy employees are arriving earlier in the mornings and staying later in the afternoons.
“My employees are doing everything they can to make this a good thing for our customers,” Wilkes said. “They’re superb.”
Wayne’s Candy stocks more than 2,000 items in its 30,000-square-foot warehouse, from Lemonheads and Gobstoppers to more than 90 Hershey items and more than 100 items each from M&M Mars and Ferrara Candy.
Wilkes said nostalgia candies like Fun Dip, Candy Necklaces, Pop Rocks and Bit-O-Honey are in high demand this year.
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Halloween Wayne's Candy Co. Macklin Candy Co. South Main historic warehouse district Whitehaven small business Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki has spent the better part of two decades writing about Memphis. A former digital journalist for WMC Action News 5 and staff reporter for Memphis Daily News, her work has also appeared in The Commercial Appeal, High Ground News, I Love Memphis, Inside Memphis Business, The Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent, Memphis Magazine and Tri-State Defender.
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