You might have noticed a fresh, new building with some colorful artwork on the front Located at 140 East Center Street. Get that sweet tooth satiated and go down to YummY Treats Candy and More!
YummY Treats Candy and More is a new shop here in Marion which deliberately opened the Wednesday before The Marion Popcorn Festival. They thought it would be a great marketing decision with all the foot traffic.
Many people seem to love it. “It’s really exciting to see young and old alike come in and go “woah, this is awesome!”” says Jackie Haupt, co-owner of this new business. The other owner of the business, John Haupt, says, “How many people can say they work in a place where everybody comes in and is happy to be here?”
YummY Treats Candy and More is definitely an all-age friendly place, Jackie stated, “Grandparents like to come in and get their grandkids something [the grandparents] liked when they were kids,” which creates fun and exciting memories.
You might be wondering how older people could enjoy a candy store. It’s simple really; one of the goals for this candy store is to have a little bit of something for everybody! John stated, “We’ve got vegan, sugar free, Kosher Candy’s, we have stuff from Türkiye, gluten free candy, the Pucker Powder Machine, you only see those in those touristy places like the zoo.”
The list of candies only continues. “How many candy shops do you know that have Hala certified candy so that muslims could eat it; how many candy shops do you know that have mochi? We have the freeze-dried candy. Candy cigs, no one in Marion has those.” John continued, “We got a whole selection of [Mexican and Japanese candy] too.”
YummY Treats Candy and More also supports and buys from Tony’s chocolate; “They are one of the few chocolate companies that makes sure the farms they buy their cacao beans from doesn’t have any slavery where 99% of cocoa farms still do.” John said.
The history behind the candy shop is just as interesting as the selection of candies. Up until Covid-19 pandemic, Jackie and John Haupt had planned to start a poultry shop, selling eggs and baked goods alike. This was the future they had planned until both of them had been invited to the candy expo in Chicago, Michigan, which really got the gears turning for them to start a candy shop. It took the Haupts around four years to find a homebase for YummY Treats Candy and More, a discouraging experience until they found the spot they are working in now. Jackie says they had brought candy left over from the expo when viewing the space, to share the vision with the building owner, and just like that, “we had this space that night before we walked out.” Jackie mentioned. She also stated, “We really wanted Marion but if we had to, we would have went to Kenton but it wasn’t meant to be… and Marion needs this.”
YummY Treats Candy and More is a family-run business, which can be rigorous. “The kids are learning a lot about business in the younger age,” Jackie says. “Sometimes it’s challenging ‘cause we’re with each other so much but I think that’s kind of a normal thing.” In light of this being a family-owned business, YummY Treats Candy and More is currently not hiring.
Because of the candy shop’s location right across the street from Ready Up, they’ve been collaborating in ways that they couldn’t say, but mentioned that: “There’s a lot of fun stuff in store for downtown Marion.” Even suggesting an interest in a Youtube channel.
You might have seen the colorful artwork displayed on the window of the shop, which was actually done by a local artist. The Elvis on the front was done by a separate local artist. YummY Treats Candy and More has also decided that Elvis shall be their new mascot, and instead of a microphone, he’ll be holding a lollipop.
YummY Treats Candy and More wishes to do a lot after they become more well-known. “Once we get established we plan on giving back to the community because that’s what small businesses are all about,” said Jackie. “We also have a concession stand that we wanna turn into a mobile candy shop too, so if somebody has an event we could just bring a small candy shop to you.”
Another goal of the candy shop is to make memories. “We want this to be a place where kids come after school, get a pop, get a unique treat, sit at the table and hang out, ‘cause there’s really nothing like that for the youth here,” said Jackie happily. “Just those things to build great memories is what we wanna do… we’re hoping we don’t disappoint people that’s for sure.”
YummY Treats Candy and More is open every Tuesday through Thursday from 10am until 8:30, and Friday/Saturday from 10am until 9:30. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays. So stop down, there’s a treat with your name on it!