New downtown Hamilton store brings sweets to High Street

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A new downtown Hamilton store has classic goodies and unique finds to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Henry’s Candy Co. opened at 243 High St. with scores of sugary treats, including more than 20 versions of gummy bears, plus a wide array of milk and dark chocolates, toffees, buckeyes, fruit slices, chewy candies, bubble gum, Swedish fish and some sugar-free options.

There’s also an ample selection of non-sugary snack mixes including a “Very Berry Antioxidant Mix” and a “Spicy Cajun Kicker Mix,” among others.

Owners Mia and Tony Farquis, of Hamilton, said they first considered such a business years ago while shopping a now-gone greeting card and gift store on the city’s west side.

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“Everyone was asking for candy and that sparked the idea all those years ago,” Mia Farquis said. “There is no candy store in Hamilton. You can go to a grocery store but sometimes you just want a little bit of this or that.”

Excited by the revitalization efforts in downtown Hamilton, the couple opted for a storefront that previously had been home to Holzberger Convenience Store.

“I liked the vibe of downtown … the flow of the traffic and the people walking by,” Mia Farquis said. “I heard this is where the action is, this is the place to be.”

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The business’ name pays tribute to the Farquis’ son, Henry, who died shortly after birth in 2009.

“Not a day that goes by (that) we don’t think about him,” Mia Farquis said.

Candy is sold in varying increments to appeal to a wide range of age groups. While an adult might order as much as several pounds of candy for a birthday party, anniversary or office event, a child can opt for less.

“We’ve had little kids come in and say ‘Can I have 50 cents worth?’ or ‘I just want one buckeye,’” Farquis said. “They don’t necessarily want to buy the whole package.”

In the works are plans to carry specialty bottled sodas with unique flavors and a wider selection of nostalgic-style candies, such as wax lips, Bottle Caps and Squirrel Nut Zippers.

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Cindy MacBurney, of Fairfield, who purchased chocolate-covered cherries, espresso chocolate beans and trail mix last week, stopped by for a second time on Wednesday for candy dots and fruit slices.

“I think it’s fantastic,” MacBurney said of the store. “This is going to be dangerous for the women (I work with) because now that we know that it’s here, we’ll be hitting this quite a bit.”

Henry’s Candy Co. hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. For more information, call 513-889-2736.

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