Aubrey’s Sweet on The Carmelcorn Shop in Easton PA

Galpal and talented writer Aubrey Murrin Collins sends this missive from her new hometown of Easton PA. Knowing I had an ace reporter in the home of the Carmelcorn shop I just had to get her to check it out for Retro Roadmap. She's done such a good job I want to go there myself and "investigate" some coconut brittle and dark roasted peanuts. mmmmm.

Thanks for the "Sally Baxter, Girl Reporter" work AMC, and we look forward to more of your submissions!

It is no secret to anyone that I love candy. I also love old things (um, also, not a secret). So imagine my excitement to move to a town with an old-fashioned Carmelcorn shop right in its town square. Squee! Ahem, double squee!

For some reason though, it was one of those places I never managed to get to for one reason or another (or really no reason at all). I’d smile at it every time I passed it when walking downtown, thinking “Aww, there’s the cute Carmelcorn Shop.”

I’d practically give it a mental hug and a squeeze, looking at its wonderful façade declaring “The Original Since 1931.”

Well, taking a cue from your hostess, the marvelous Mod Betty, I realized I needed to trek down to finally check out the inside, support the store and buy some candy, instead of just smiling in awe at the outside.

Red and white striped walls welcome you as you venture inside on a modern walk into the past, a past filled with candies, nuts and popped corn.

(look, it's an old timey popcorn popper just like at EW Hobbs in Salem, sez Mod Betty. Squee indeed!)

The wall to your right is filled with wire shelving holding bags of an assortment of new and old candies, ranging from peppermints to licorice and every wondrous thing in between. All very reasonably priced, I might add.

At the back of the shop is a rack with dime-store candy sticks, in modern and old-timey flavors (mmm, horehound anyone?)

My favorite surprise was the Smooth & Melty Mints— bringing me directly back to sneaking them from the cabinets in my grandmother’s kitchen.

If roasted nuts are more your thing, obviously, you’ve come to the right place. All are roasted on the premises and range from peanuts to almonds to cashews to mixed nuts to...well, you get the picture.

They also have an abundance of homemade chocolates and fudge in a case reminiscent of the candy store I would go to as a kid, with tremendous variety, in flavors both old and new.

Maybe the reason I never stopped at the Carmelcorn Shop is that I’m not even normally a big fan of caramel corn, but I bought a bag of the shop’s namesake. It was light and fluffy and had just enough flavor that even I will be going back for more.

On your way out, don’t forget to grab some rock candy or an old-fashioned sucker for the road.

So if you find yourself in the Lehigh Valley, make it a point to stop down to Easton’s town square and pop into one of the Valley’s true gems.