Power of social media leads to a candy crush
Business had been a little off due to COVID-19, shop owner said, but nothing prepared him for the community’s sweet response
Donald Baker does not use Facebook or any social media, but he found out about the power of the platforms last week.
The 89-year-old owner of The CandyHouse, a1,000-square-foot specialty sweets store on Glen Loch Drive, saw four days of unprecedented lines and a crush of customers after reports that the pandemic had put the shop on shaky ground.
“Wewere not in dire straits. We were concerned about our future,” Baker said of a Nov. 12 post thatwent viral, but thatwas made without his knowledge.
The post led to hundreds of customers flocking to the store, creating lines that wrapped around the small shopping center as people patiently waited for a chance to snap up sweets.
The charitable spirit also extended to a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $36,000 for the store.
“It is manna from heaven. It was very fulfilling that so many people wanted to help. It is a godsend,” he added. “People bought everything. Obviously, we were overwhelmed. We don’t have a lot of staff. I had people who worked forme in the past come in to help … andmy daughter and son, who have bothworkedhere, also came in to help.”
Usually just one worker
Baker opened the store in a different location on March 1, 1989, and will celebrate 22 years at his current location in July. He said he is the only employee on most days, with occasional help during the busy seasons of October and
December. The shop is popular with people of all ages who come for bubble gum, chocolate treats and the specialty — homemade caramel and cheesy popcorn.
Baker has no internet connection and accepts payment for candies either in cash or by credit card. The business uses a 1990sera credit card approval device that connects to a land line, a process that can take severalminutes and is foreign to many customers.
At age 89, or as he says, “my 90th year,” Baker said he will continue to operate the shop as long as he can. He is now planning to restock his candies and other goods before the Christmas season begins in a few weeks.
“The cheesy popcorn sold out. We are waiting for more supplies sowe can start selling that again,” he noted.
The avalanche of customers came, Baker explained, after a regular customer came into the shop and engaged in small talk with him as she shopped. Baker said he mentioned to the woman that the store had seen record-low business in October, normally one of the busiest times of the year.
“(October) was not that busy. But it wasn’t justmy store; it is everyone with a store,” he said, referring to COVID-19’s impact. “We have been overwhelmed, and it is a wonderful thing. Hopefully, it will settle down so it gets back to normal. We can only have so many people in the store at a time.”
Baker stressed that the situation was unusual and although fueled by a misleading social media post, “everybody had good intentions.”