DELAWARE — Downtown Delaware is about to get a little sweeter with Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop opening at 17 N. Sandusky St. and Betty’s Cupcakes already open at 38 S. Sandusky St.
The locally-owned cupcakery opened on Friday, and has already felt a warm welcome from Delaware residents.
“If sales are going to be like they were on Friday and Saturday, we’re gonna have to hire more staff,” Bart Camoin, one of the owners, said.
Betty’s started three years ago in Marion, but business partners Betty Reeves and Camoin always wanted to open in Delaware from the start.
Although Betty Reeves is the baker behind the frosted treats, the store’s name is actually after Reeves’ mother, also named Betty.
“So we use her buttercream frosting, we use some of her cupcakes and I took some of her cakes and broke them down into cupcakes. So she used to make them for my dad and they’ve been passed down from generation to generation from my grandmother, to my mother, to me,” Reeves said.
She and her 11 siblings learned how to bake from her mother, and as they grew up she continued to pass down her recipes through Christmas cookbooks and family baking sessions.
Now, Betty’s Cupcakes offers 75 types of cupcakes, all derived from Reeves’ mother’s original recipes.
But if cupcakes aren’t your speed, Betty’s offers buckeyes, bark, chocolate covered pretzels and ice cream.
“It’s everything that I grew up eating as a child,” Reeves said.
She also takes custom cake and cupcake catering orders for any occasion, with a wall of some of her previous designs on display in the store.
Customers can stop by from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday to grab the most popular Buckeye cupcake, or any of the other made-with-love treats.
Grandpa Joe’s bring famous candy buffet
While Betty’s Cupcakes fills the cupcake and chocolate treats need on South Sandusky, Grandpa Joe’s will fill the candy need on North Sandusky.
As the name suggests, Grandpa Joe’s is a candy store, but the shop’s walls will be lined with all kinds of sweets, including ice cream, soda and toys.
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop is home to more than 350 varieties of old-fashioned glass-bottled sodas, including quirky flavors such as Mint Julep, Almond Cream and even Toothpaste.
And for those looking to try as many flavors of candy as possible, Grandpa Joe’s offers their famous $5 Candy Buffet — a box customers can fill with any sweets they choose. As long as the lid closes, the price is $5.
Founder and CEO of Grandpa Joe’s Chris Beers said the Delaware location will also sell popcorn — a first for the company.
“We don’t really announce where we’re coming to until it’s almost time,” Beers said.
Regardless, whenever the grand opening day is, the doors will open at 4:05 p.m., a nod to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the classic film that inspired both the store’s name and Beers’ love for the business.
In the movie, Grandpa Joe leaves his sick bed to join Charlie Bucket on his tour of Wonka’s factory.
About Grandpa Joe’s
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, founded by Christopher J. Beers, opened its first location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 2012, and now has over 20 locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, West Virginia, Texas and Minnesota.
Before Delaware, Grandpa Joe’s opened its latest locations in Flower Mound, Texas; York, Pennsylvania and Mansfield, Ohio.
Best known for its vast selection of candy, soda, unique gifts and international treats,
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop has received worldwide attention for some of its original
products, including Pickle Cotton Candy and Ketchup Soda.
Grandpa Joe’s is home to over 250 candy bars and over 100 bulk candies.
Inside each candy store, there are unique nods to the local area, with mural work done my Mansfield artist Allison Pence.
“I don’t think there’s anyone out there who does candy stores like Grandpa Joe’s,” Beers said.
