Vintage 1950s
Loft Candy
A beautiful box of chocolates just says, Valentine's Day (among other celebrations. I thought it would be fun to look up some of the popular chocolatiers of the 1950s. Enjoy your walk down memory lane.
Loft Candy, Inc. was the world's largest maker and seller of candy in the 1920s. It manufactured its own products and distributed them throughout greater New York City and Newark, New Jersey. Happiness Candy Stores, Inc., was controlled by Loft, Inc. Rapid expansion followed, with Loft's 2,100 employees making 350 products that were distributed over fifteen states along the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest.
In 1860, English immigrant William Loft opened a candy store in Lower Manhattan. Loft's two sons followed in his footsteps, with his eldest son George taking charge of the company in the 1890s. George Loft soon opened two more stores, then added more in New York City as he moved production out of the family kitchen into a series of increasingly large factories, Eventually ending up in Long Island City.
Loft Candy Corporation attracted the attention of Philadelphia magnate Albert M. Greenfield, whose City Stores Company (CSCo) rapidly acquired control of the new firm. Loft Candy expanded into New York, New Jersey, and New England. The company also opened stores in some of the larger New York City Subway stations. By 1958, approaching the centennial of Loft's, the company owned or controlled stores in the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, in 11 states and the District of Columbia.
In 1971, after having had several different managements and owners over the previous decade, the Loft Candy Corporation was acquired by Southland Corporation. A year later, Southland purchased Barricini Candies, Inc., combining it into a single operational unit with Loft Candy.
The company closed all shops and ceased business in 1994.
So, taste buds ready for some chocolate now?
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