‘Sweet’ Celebration For Candy Store In Chester

CHESTER, NJ — Black River Candy Shoppe celebrates its 24th anniversary in February, with a few seasonal treats —along with regular favorites — for Valentine's Day.

Steve Jones, who owns the store at 44 Main Street in downtown Chester, started the business “after a long career in the pharmaceutical industry as a research microbiologist and also in production management,” he told Patch in an email.

The store’s website lists “candies of all kinds,” including 200 types of candy bars, nostalgic sweets, English candies, bulk treats sold by the pound, sugar- and nut-free candies, Jelly Belly beans and more.

He said supply chain issues “have hit candy as well as everything else,” but added that the store maintains an ample stock of about 1,000 different types of sweet treats.

Although there are seasonal treats, with space limitations he said he cannot “turn the store red for Valentine’s Day.”

The pandemic supply chain problems have complicated his receipt of Valentine candies.

"Unfortunately this year Valentine items seem to be in short supply from my suppliers," he said. "Many customers are happy to just buy their year round favorites for the various candy holidays."

‘Sweet’ Recognition Repeats For Candy Store

Jones was recently surprised by the recognition his store has received for its place on a Food Network Magazine list that was initially published five years ago. An online version of the story “America’s 50 Best Candy Stores” went viral on Friday.

He was uncertain how Food Network’s recognition came for his store the first time and recently.

"When we received this recognition about 5 or so years ago, it came out of the blue and was a surprise to me," Jones said. "I had and still have no idea what the criteria was for getting on the list and was frankly quite surprised when it was published."

Jones learned about the recent mention after Shawn Michaels — a radio personality in New Jersey’s southern section — wrote about Black River Candy Shoppe’s recognition on Friday. Historic Chester Business Association’s marketing manager, Emmillee Wyatt then shared Michaels' article on the association's Facebook page.

“It has kind of gone viral, and I have received more recognition from this than when we received the initial kudos five years ago,” Jones said.

The store was also named New Jersey’s top candy store in 2017 on the “Best Things New Jersey” list, he said.

“We are always thrilled to be recognized in this way,” he added. “We work hard to provide a fun environment with good customer service as is noted by our five star ratings from Yelp, Tripadvisor, Groupon, etc.”

“Maybe this is the perfect spot to find your loved one something sweet for Cupid’s big day next month,” Michaels said, directing his listeners to visit shops in the Jersey Shore region. “Candy is a huge part of Valentine’s Day and having one of the best candy stores in America is a nice thing to check out.”

For more information about Black River Candy Shoppe, visit www.blackrivercandyshoppe.com.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.