CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Dan Smith’s Candies is preparing for a big change in Clarion.
According to co-owner Amy Scarnati, who has owned Dan Smith Candies with her husband Joe since 2015, they are currently in the process of purchasing the property where Wein’s Clothing Store formerly stood.
“It’s in the works, and it’s not all finalized yet, but we’re definitely moving forward with buying the building,” Scarnati told exploreClarion.com.
Wein’s, which was founded in 1911 by Philip and Thomas Wein, closed its doors in January 2020.
“It was part of Alan (Wein)’s goal to continue to have some kind of retail business there since his family was part of the Clarion community and the downtown business community for so long,” Scarnati noted.
“I think he might be as excited as we are about this.”
The Scarnatis had been in the market for a larger space for their Clarion store for quite some time.
“It’s a very successful store (Dan Smith’s) with a great customer base, so we really wanted a bigger space.”
They didn’t consider the Wein’s building immediately, but after it sat on the market for a while, they decided to look at it and consider the possibilities.
One of the reasons they wanted to expand their Clarion location was to add locally sourced small-batch hard ice cream from Brandy Camp Creamery in St. Marys, which Dan Smith’s stores already offer in several of their other locations.
“Our previous space wouldn’t allow for that.”
Scarnati noted that Brandy Camp Creamery also uses Dan Smith’s chocolate in several of their flavors.
“They have some really great products.”
While the final details of the sale are still in the works, Scarnati said they will be having a special sale at the former Wein’s store on May 20, 21, and 22 to clear out the last of the items and fixtures from the previous business.
Then, they will be looking at beginning renovations, focusing first on the interior of the store.
“I think we have a good gift selection now, and we will be looking to build on that and also have bigger candy displays. This store will have a more candy store look.”
While the Clarion Dan Smith’s store will be moving into the right side of the first floor of the former Wein’s building, they are also planning to partner with a local boutique store, which will be located on the left side of the first floor.
Scarnati said they are also looking for other partners interested in the basement retail space and the upstairs space available in the building.
Although they don’t have an official opening date scheduled for the new location yet, Scarnati said they are aiming for early fall and hope to have the new storefront open in time for the Autumn Leaf Festival.
Once they have the interior renovations finished and the store moved, they will also be considering some facade improvements for the future, as well, she noted.
The current Dan Smith’s Candies location in Clarion will remain open until they are ready to move to the new storefront. Since they have been leasing their current location, Scarnati wasn’t aware of any future plans for the storefront once they move out.
The announcement about the new Clarion location comes just weeks after Dan Smith’s Candies opened their new location at 301 West Main Street in Brookville.
Scarnati noted there are still more updates coming to the Brookville store, as well, with new candy equipment that should be arriving in the coming weeks which will be set up to allow customer viewing of come candy production.
“It is just taking a while to get those due to COVID.”
Between the recent move in Brookville, the new machines arriving in the near future, and the changes in the works in Clarion, there’s a lot going on at Dan Smith’s Candies.
“That’s going to keep us busy for the next few months,” Scarnati added.
