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NOW OPEN: Shane Confectionery
'Tis the season of red, green and subdued blue. Brothers Eric and Ryan Berley of Franklin Fountain (116 Market St.) have breathed life back into Shane's Candies (110 Market St.) in Old City.
NOW OPEN: Shane Confectionery
'Tis the season of red, green and subdued blue. Brothers Eric and Ryan Berley of Franklin Fountain (116 Market St.) have breathed life back into Shane's Candies (110 Market St., 215-922-1048) in Old City. The formerly forest-green landmark, which the Shane family opened in 1911, saw its grand re-debut, as Shane Confectionery, on Monday.
Mayor Michael Nutter spoke at the ceremony, identifying the Berleys' nearby ice cream parlor as his personal dessert haven. Then, after a vintage baseball cheer ("Hip, hip, huzzah!"), Nutter and the brothers officially untied the ribbon. They didn't cut it — after all, you don't cut the ribbon off a box of chocolates.
The space, which has been a candy shop of some sort since 1863, is now filled with finished, packaged products, like handmade, hand-dipped candies and sweets made with fruit from local orchards. Candy toys in the shape of horse-drawn carriages are neatly lined on the counter, while oversized jawbreakers dare customers to take on the challenge. Black jelly beans are (wisely) stored in their own jar. Shelves boast of everything from classic Abba Zabbas and candy canes to zanier, archaic sweets, such as clove drops, springerle cookies and peppermint gibraltars. The only processes used in the candy kitchen are original recipes from the Shane family, executed with restored original machinery. "[We're] using antiquated equipment to turn raw ingredients into forgotten flavors of the American past," says head confectioner and pastry chef Davina Soondrum.
The effect is nostalgic and effortless for customers, but the typical morning in the Shane's kitchen is hectic. Employees are baking, dipping, packaging — "It's a machine in there," says Soondrum, who has been part of the Franklin Fountain team for three years. "This is definitely a family business. It's not uncommon having [the Berley brothers] packaging or testing in the kitchen with us."
The new Shane's is on the web at shanecandies.com at @shanescandies. The shop's official holiday hours are not set just yet.
Photos: Rachel Winslow and Marie Sciocchetti
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