For the past seven years many Bloomsburg University Students along with the rest of the community turned to Karen’s Candy Barrel as the place to go for a chocolate fix or to satisfy their sweet tooth. Karen Richards, owner of the Candy Barrel, has recently decided to close down her store on Main Street.
“The biggest thing I’m going to miss is my customers and the other merchants on Main Street,” Richards said. Richards, along with her family, have now enjoyed 25 years in the candy business and plan on continuing for many more. Even though it’s sad to see the Candy Barrel close its doors, Richards has exciting new plans for her business. She will begin taking a whole sale approach in the candy business, which is selling her products to other merchants. Along with whole selling, Richards plans to provide online access to her homemade candies. Richards is also planning to reopen Karen’s Candies in Berwick, which is where all the magic started. Former employee and BU student Lauren Barbera is extremely excited for Richards, and supports her efforts to expand her business. Although Barbera is sad to see the store close down she has no doubts that Richards’ attempts to take her business in a new direction will falter in any way.
“[The Candy Barrel closing] is the worst news I’ve heard all week,” freshman Kayleigh Fisher said. This exclamation sums up the feeling of many Bloomsburg University students. The atmosphere that Richards created in her small business made a huge impact on her customers. Every customer was always greeted with a smile and was left with nothing more than the sweet tastes of her candies, which for many people, was just enough. The passion and love that Richards has for candy making surface in her attempts to create fun and interesting concoctions. A local favorite was her chocolate covered bacon. At first sight this may not seem like it would even be popular, but if daring enough to try it, one would experience nothing but sweet and salty goodness. It is definitely safe to say that Karen Richards and her store will be greatly missed.
“I would like to thank all of my customers for their business and support over the past seven years,” Richards said as her final statement.
