Bye, Bye Miss American Candy Store

Take a few seconds and mourn the loss of a quaint, shabby, little candy store- even if you have never been there. If you have, you will already know what I am talking about and have, undoubtedly, spent many nights crying over it. I know I have. Baldingers litters my memory the way McDonald's bags litter highways. From as young as I can remember Baldingers has been a staple in my life. Whether with parents, grandparents, alone or with strange transvestites, Baldingers has been a hot spot on those boring what-the-hell-can-we-do days. After all else fails, it's always time for candy. Arrival is always interesting, since the outside of the store looks like it has survived atomic bombs, hurricane Katrina, and water boarding torture sessions. But that look is what gives Baldingers its mundane sexual appeal. From the first look you will know what true love is. And you will want to run inside immediately. Open the door and peer in and you would have thought that your grandmother just lead you into her basement- a basement filled with tables that have buckets of candy on them. Walking over the wooden floors, each creak introduces new fears. Thoughts of the floor breaking underneath my body were constant. I had a burning suspicion that underneath the floor was a giant well that fed off the bones of young children... because my grandfather told me that. Anyway, besides penny candy (yes, pieces of candy were only one cent!) and the various other candies that lived inside Baldingers, a whole wing of the store was dedicated to foreign goods ranging from teas to sauces and spices to crackers. Many minutes could be spent looking at all the crazy non-American items. But after the initial shock-and-awe wore off, candy was to be riffled through, bought, and enjoyed.

No longer do i have to drive to cranberry to fulfill my candy addiction. Baldingers recently relocated in Zelienople, PA, which is closer to my house, so no complaints here. But the history and raw rustic appeal are now replaced with a brand new little, white one story building 5 feet from Exxon. It looks cute, but that doesn't win my heart back. My recent trip to the new Baldingers was bittersweet. And that is all I have to say about that.