Does Anyone Else Remember A Candy Store In The NYC Subway?

November 13, 2019 12:32 PM

Back when I was in high school in the 1980s, I remember there being a candy store -- not a newsstand where you'd buy candy bars, but someplace you'd buy chocolate or caramels by the pound -- inside the 14th St Union Square subway station: if I remember accurately it was right at the top of the stairs up from the 4/5/6 platform. It went away in some remodeling of the station in the late eighties, I think. First, does anyone else remember it at all? Second, the part of my memory that seems really implausible.

I remember fairly often, if you bought caramels, they would still be hot as if they had just been made and wrapped within the last hour or so. At the time, I believed that there must have been a back room where they were actually making the candy, but that seems nuts given the plausible amount of room available actually in the subway station.

Anyway, I can't remember the business name at all to try to find information about it online. Does anyone else remember anything about this place, or have any ideas on how to search for information based on what I've said?

posted by LizardBreath to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

It is possible you remember the 14th Street station on the 7th Avenue line rather than Union Square?

Loft's Candies had stores in larger New York subway stations. It closed its last stores (as Barracini-Loft's) in 1988. On April 10, 1949, the NYTimes reported [TimesMachine, subscription probably required]: "Loft's to Open 3 Subway Shops — Three additional subway shops will be opened by Loft Candy Shops tomorrow, it was announced yesterday. They will be located on the mezzanine of the Times Square subways station, adjacent to the Seventh Avenue IRT line; on the main mezzanine of the BMT Union Square station and on the main mezzanine of the Seventh Avenue IRT station at Fourteenth Street. The company opened four shops in New York City subway stations in December [1948]."

There might well have been one opened at Union Square later on, of course.

They had a candy factory in Long Island City. Probably they were not making candies in the back of the shop, but had a good fast distribution system via the subways that got fresh candies out to stores when they were still warm.

Here's a Loft's sign that survived until at least 2017.
posted by beagle at 2:26 PM on November 13, 2019

Yes, vaguely? I'm finding Loft, Inc./Loft's Candies (briefly Barricini-Loft, before closing; local factory) had a retail lease in the subways at one point.
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:26 PM on November 13, 2019

on the main mezzanine of the BMT Union Square station

This must be it. And for fast distribution, it'd be probably only a half-hour from LIC to Union Square if you transported the candy by subway on a handcart. I don't know why this has been nagging at me, but I feel better now, thanks.

Those were excellent caramels, at least I thought so when I was fourteen.
posted by LizardBreath at 2:52 PM on November 13, 2019

Sorry of course, I missed that Union Square was mentioned in the NYT quote I provided.
posted by beagle at 4:01 PM on November 13, 2019

erica jong has isadora remembering her mother handing her a piece of fudge Jude bought in the subway when Isadora was a toddler in Parachutes and Kisses.
posted by brujita at 8:00 PM on November 13, 2019