WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.960 All right. Welcome to Good News York sponsored 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:06.839 by ads on the go get ads on the go dot com. Mike 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.640 Brindisi flying solo. Matt is not here and it's 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:15.480 his loss because I have an amazing guest with 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:17.820 me today. Not Matt, just me. I have them all 00:00:17.820 --> 00:00:21.780 to myself from the speech family candy business 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:24.980 or I should say this speech family candy shop 00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:28.480 speech speech family candy shop. Ladies and gentlemen, 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:31.480 Mr. Michael's speech. Thank you for coming. Thank 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:33.960 you for having me. I am very excited to have 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:38.479 you. Well, I mean, look right off the bat. I 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:43.039 want to say I my kryptonite is sugar and sweets 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:47.579 and chocolate. And I'm not afraid to admit that. 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.500 I love it. We have a candy bowl in our house. 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:54.439 But here's the thing. You go to the stores, the 00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:56.740 big box stores, you kind of see all the same 00:00:56.740 --> 00:00:59.659 brands. You know what you're going to get. When 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:03.299 I first looked on your website, the selection 00:01:03.299 --> 00:01:07.019 that you guys have and kind of just the services 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:09.219 that you guys do outside of, you know, making 00:01:09.219 --> 00:01:14.140 and and and putting candy out to purchase you 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:18.379 guys just you just do so much and It's a family 00:01:18.379 --> 00:01:23.219 business. I want to talk about that first because 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:26.140 Family businesses are the bread and butter of 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:29.379 this country right and You guys have a great 00:01:29.379 --> 00:01:31.799 story and I'd love for you to talk about that. 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:35.560 I know you're was it your great grandfather came 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:37.920 from Italy. It's an amazing story. It really 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:39.680 is the American dream. I'd like to hear about 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:42.439 that. Sure. So yeah, I'm the fourth generation. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:45.920 So my great grandfather originally came over. 00:01:46.430 --> 00:01:49.549 in the late 1800s with a bunch of his family. 00:01:50.670 --> 00:01:52.689 And after kind of going back and forth, whether 00:01:52.689 --> 00:01:54.510 or not to actually stay in the country, he finally 00:01:54.510 --> 00:01:57.950 settled right in Syracuse. And he started actually 00:01:57.950 --> 00:02:00.670 doing various jobs, did some construction, everything 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:02.730 else, and then finally fell into a job working 00:02:02.730 --> 00:02:05.430 with Coughlin Brothers, which is actually a business 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:07.569 that was making cough drops at the time, medicated 00:02:07.569 --> 00:02:10.009 cough drops. And as part of that process, he 00:02:10.009 --> 00:02:12.830 actually learned how to make hard candy. And 00:02:12.830 --> 00:02:15.750 that was part of that first step into him deciding 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:20.000 that he wanted to kind of pursue that. So after, 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:22.319 I think he ended up borrowing a thousand dollars, 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:24.319 which back in 1920. That was a lot of money. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:27.819 A lot of money. Yeah. Uh, and basically invested 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:30.340 and started making candy. It originally started 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:32.120 in the front of his house, right on Lodi street, 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:34.259 not too far from where we currently are located. 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:37.159 Um, only a few blocks. And then it kind of just 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.060 got passed around from family member to family 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:42.599 member until my parents landed it in the eighties. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:44.900 And then actually put up its first brick and 00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:47.300 mortar location, um, where customers could actually 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:49.659 come into originally my grandfather and all of 00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:51.860 his children were doing business to business. 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.030 So. It's probably one of the reasons why our 00:02:54.030 --> 00:02:56.669 name is not as popular as say like a C's candy 00:02:56.669 --> 00:03:00.550 that has been serving consumer directly for many, 00:03:00.610 --> 00:03:03.370 many years. You know, I threw the word American 00:03:03.370 --> 00:03:05.979 dream out. And I think sometimes we use that 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:08.300 a little loosely, but that is genuinely the American 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:12.000 dream. You migrate over from another country 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:15.900 to the land of opportunity and you work hard 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:19.039 and you hope that you get that break to where 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.759 you can, you know, start your own business or 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:26.099 just create a life that's sustainable. And I 00:03:26.099 --> 00:03:28.680 just I truly think that's such a great story. 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:31.719 And thank you for sharing that is the house where 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:35.039 he. started. Do you guys still own that house? 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:37.699 No, that was sold many, many years ago. During 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:40.780 all of the craziness with the business. At one 00:03:40.780 --> 00:03:44.139 point, my grandfather employed quite a few people. 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:46.840 And then we were even exporting back to France. 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:48.900 We actually have documentation where he was actually 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:51.199 sending candy, which is unheard of. Yeah. You're 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:52.960 thinking Belgian chocolate, French chocolate. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.439 Sure. You know, the UK, they have really good 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:57.780 product. He was actually sending it back over 00:03:57.780 --> 00:04:00.879 there. So that was kind of cool. So at one point, 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.240 they actually had one of the largest houses with 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:05.780 the first in -ground pool in Syracuse on McBride 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:08.360 Street. Really? They actually, once the family 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:10.759 got to a size because I my grandfather had 10 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:14.280 children. Wow. So, you know, and my grandfather, 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:16.800 Ernie was actually the youngest of the 10. So 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.279 I have, you know, people that are my generation 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:23.779 that are like twice my age. Amazing. So the family 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.720 was huge, but yeah, I wish we still had that 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:29.480 house. It's actually, I drive past it all the 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:31.300 time. It's not too far from Deloro's bakery right 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:33.779 on the north side. Yeah. I asked because I mean, 00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:36.629 it's, it's, uh, It's more than just a house, 00:04:36.629 --> 00:04:40.949 right? I mean, that is the symbol of the hope 00:04:40.949 --> 00:04:44.750 that he had and then the success that came once 00:04:44.750 --> 00:04:47.329 he came here and started grinding. I just love 00:04:47.329 --> 00:04:55.129 that. I do know that you guys are just involved 00:04:55.129 --> 00:04:57.829 in not only just obviously making selling candy, 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:00.129 you're involved in a ton of events. I definitely 00:05:00.129 --> 00:05:03.699 want to talk about that, but. I noticed, you 00:05:03.699 --> 00:05:06.220 know, it is a family business. So is this something 00:05:06.220 --> 00:05:08.920 that as you were growing up, you were like, oh, 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:10.959 well, I gotta do this. I mean, this is the family 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:13.379 business. Or did you take a genuine interest 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:16.360 on your own with this? To be totally, I was the 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.639 opposite. Really? When I got in my teenage years 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:21.160 where my friends were like hanging out and going 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:23.680 to parties and movies, and I was stuck either 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:25.259 helping take care of my sisters who were younger 00:05:25.259 --> 00:05:27.699 than I was, or helping out like at the holiday 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:30.800 time at the candy store, when I finally got a... 00:05:30.509 --> 00:05:34.410 license, I was like, I'm out. I'm out. See you. 00:05:34.509 --> 00:05:36.750 I want nothing to do with it. Yeah. It was kind 00:05:36.750 --> 00:05:38.389 of one of those things where, yeah, I was going 00:05:38.389 --> 00:05:40.629 to be the end of the candy line, I think. Oh, 00:05:40.689 --> 00:05:44.810 boy. For a while there until I went and pursued 00:05:44.810 --> 00:05:46.589 a totally different area. I actually went into 00:05:46.589 --> 00:05:48.769 entertainment. I did television radio and then 00:05:48.769 --> 00:05:52.230 I went into theatrical design. Excellent. Right 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:54.649 from. So I went to OCC, had a full ride to Ithaca 00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:58.050 College and was pursuing everything. You're a 00:05:58.050 --> 00:06:00.620 bomber. I am a I'm a bomber. Oh, very cool. Park 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:03.819 school. Did you? Yeah, I was in theater school. 00:06:03.899 --> 00:06:05.639 I was over at Dillon. Yeah. There's some crossover 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:07.680 there. I took some some acting classes and stuff 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.600 like that. Yeah. And we actually they always 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:11.540 kind of work together in that side. And we've 00:06:11.540 --> 00:06:13.439 I did some design work over at Park for lighting 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.170 and stuff. Dude, I think you're my new best friend. 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:18.009 You're an Ithaca College alum and you have a 00:06:18.009 --> 00:06:21.370 bag full of candy with you. So, you know, it's 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:24.509 2025. There's a lot of opportunities out there 00:06:24.509 --> 00:06:27.129 to start businesses. Entrepreneurship is probably 00:06:27.129 --> 00:06:30.189 at an all time high. But, you know, back in those 00:06:30.189 --> 00:06:31.670 days, especially your great grandfather's days 00:06:31.670 --> 00:06:36.350 and even a few generations ago, that was it wasn't 00:06:36.350 --> 00:06:41.519 as. I guess, common to be able to launch a business 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:45.680 like that. And candy is such a niche. niche product. 00:06:45.899 --> 00:06:48.540 Were there some barriers there with with with 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:52.480 sustaining success and sales with just just being 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:54.579 candy? Did you have to pivot and kind of because 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:57.220 you do more than just the candy itself now? Yes, 00:06:57.220 --> 00:06:59.779 we do a lot more. But back then, I think a big 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:01.860 part of it was because we were business to business 00:07:01.860 --> 00:07:03.899 back then, which was mostly whole. I mean, we 00:07:03.899 --> 00:07:06.699 were predominantly wholesale. We were selling 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:09.240 to like every corner candy store. We were selling 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:11.040 to places down in Cortland. We were, you know, 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.550 again, shipping it all over the, you know, abroad. 00:07:13.829 --> 00:07:16.250 So I mean, the idea I think is a little bit different. 00:07:17.290 --> 00:07:20.110 Where I think like, especially when we when we 00:07:20.110 --> 00:07:22.329 hit the Great Depression, right? Like, you know, 00:07:22.529 --> 00:07:24.910 families were, you know, losing out, sure, no 00:07:24.910 --> 00:07:27.269 jobs, all that kind of stuff. Because it was 00:07:27.269 --> 00:07:29.829 a food processing business, my uncle was able 00:07:29.829 --> 00:07:32.389 to get rations so he could continue to make products 00:07:32.389 --> 00:07:34.829 so that he could continue to sell product. So 00:07:34.829 --> 00:07:36.449 stuff like that was really interesting and being 00:07:36.449 --> 00:07:38.430 able to help out families that way. That's amazing. 00:07:38.829 --> 00:07:41.509 So there was a little of that. And I think a 00:07:41.509 --> 00:07:43.769 big part of it is because the relationships were 00:07:43.769 --> 00:07:46.649 business to business versus business to consumer. 00:07:46.750 --> 00:07:50.110 Sure. There was more demand. Absolutely. I think 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:52.870 that's what kept him going. Wow. And have you 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:56.250 guys always, you make all the candy and package, 00:07:56.449 --> 00:07:58.730 manufacture, package the whole deal? Well, we 00:07:58.730 --> 00:08:01.370 make a lot of our own chocolates. So basically 00:08:01.370 --> 00:08:03.870 predominantly chocolates, fudge, and then brittle, 00:08:04.790 --> 00:08:08.069 hard candy brittle. Of course, we carry a wide 00:08:08.069 --> 00:08:10.949 selection of Jelly Belly candies, M &Ms, all 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:13.329 the big brands, harder to find candy. We have 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:16.050 a whole nostalgia section with like sky bars 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:18.029 and Necco wafers and all that stuff as well. 00:08:19.740 --> 00:08:22.480 Yeah, we manufacture everything and everything 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:24.800 is done by hand. There's the only things that 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:27.839 are like Electronic in the entire building are 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:30.060 our chocolate melters even today even to this 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:33.399 so you know So if I was to walk in in the back, 00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:35.000 I'm assuming you do all this in the brick and 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:38.379 mortar store If I was to walk I'm not gonna see 00:08:38.379 --> 00:08:41.480 big machines I'm not gonna this is all big candy 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:43.580 melters that you know we can melt like 200 pounds 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:46.940 of chocolate at a time and Big marble tables 00:08:46.940 --> 00:08:50.740 and a lot of counter space. That's Yeah. Fascinating. 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:52.879 Yeah. You know, we should I'm just going to say 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:55.879 this on the air. We should if you want it, we 00:08:55.879 --> 00:08:58.570 should come and shoot. I'd love to watch you 00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:00.389 go through that process. And I think a lot of 00:09:00.389 --> 00:09:02.090 people would. Yeah. I mean, it gets to a point 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:03.830 where it can be a little tedious. Like I've been 00:09:03.830 --> 00:09:05.490 trying for years to try to figure out how to 00:09:05.490 --> 00:09:07.649 do TikTok videos and stuff. But I'm like, I don't 00:09:07.649 --> 00:09:10.769 ever stand in one spot for long enough. I need 00:09:10.769 --> 00:09:13.769 like a panning camera. Like because I'm literally 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:16.370 all 360 camera. Yeah. I mean, we have a marble 00:09:16.370 --> 00:09:18.210 table about the same size as this table that 00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:21.370 I work at predominantly that we make fudge at. 00:09:21.889 --> 00:09:24.899 And I'm like. on all four sides running around 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:28.000 it for hours at a time. Do you think at this 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:30.700 point, you could probably make candy with your 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:33.720 eyes closed? Do you think the process is so ingrained 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.500 in your brain? At this point, yes. We actually 00:09:37.500 --> 00:09:39.960 have what we call a recipe Bible, which is all 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:41.799 of my great grandfather's original recipes and 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:45.179 then recipes we've modified over the years. And 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:47.940 I have it just for a resource just in case I'm 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.480 not there and my sister or one of our associates 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:53.379 have to produce something. I don't even really 00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:56.120 look at it anymore. I bet. I know. Oh, this is 00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:00.639 eight cups. Right. Right. Speaking of that, when 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:03.840 I was on your site, there was much more than 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.830 just candy. There was. the the advent calendar 00:10:07.830 --> 00:10:10.429 you talked about for for the holidays, the events 00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:12.289 that you guys do. Something that caught my eye 00:10:12.289 --> 00:10:15.370 was your speech isms. I didn't know if you wanted 00:10:15.370 --> 00:10:17.730 to talk about that and what that exactly meant. 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:21.450 I appreciated it very much. So we actually again, 00:10:21.450 --> 00:10:23.730 it's a family business and we're in candy. It's 00:10:23.730 --> 00:10:25.590 not like we're, you know, manufacturing like 00:10:25.590 --> 00:10:28.509 car parts. Sure. So there's a really there's 00:10:28.509 --> 00:10:30.610 a lot of lightness and a lot of humor. A lot 00:10:30.610 --> 00:10:33.490 of what we do, even when we ship out boxes like 00:10:33.490 --> 00:10:39.720 my last one is uh, F M O F A flip me over and 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.379 find out when you're shipping chocolate. Um, 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:44.840 so like we, like we try to have fun with it. 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:46.539 And so one of the things we came up with a few 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:48.980 years ago, um, it was during COVID actually, 00:10:49.059 --> 00:10:51.519 when I was like sitting there and I have a, I 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:53.299 do a lot of graphic stuff, but we were like, 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:55.179 let's just start making up like all of the funny 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:57.019 things that we think are hysterical that other 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:59.179 people might. So like, there's a lot of speeches 00:10:59.179 --> 00:11:01.740 and they're like, can vegetarians eat animal 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:04.870 crackers? Like it's a great question really, 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:07.250 you know, yeah, that's that's like and that just 00:11:07.250 --> 00:11:09.049 came out one day when we were sitting there talking 00:11:09.049 --> 00:11:11.129 I think we were actually dipping graham animal 00:11:11.129 --> 00:11:13.190 crackers and chocolate. That was the conversation 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:15.669 I was like, I wonder if vegetarians can eat these 00:11:15.669 --> 00:11:18.429 like yeah, right. That's a very valid question 00:11:18.429 --> 00:11:20.870 No, I see and that just kind of furthers my point 00:11:20.870 --> 00:11:23.269 of how not only is it original because you are 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:24.809 a family business But you guys are just original 00:11:24.809 --> 00:11:27.590 in everything you do, you know, it's the speech 00:11:27.590 --> 00:11:30.190 isms like You know, if you were ever questioning, 00:11:30.389 --> 00:11:32.389 should we put speeches on the website? I hope 00:11:32.389 --> 00:11:34.370 I kind of solidified that you should have because 00:11:34.370 --> 00:11:36.330 it caught my eye immediately. Yeah, we have a 00:11:36.330 --> 00:11:38.590 lot of fun with that. That's one of our biggest. 00:11:39.090 --> 00:11:41.330 And I actually have a lot more. I just haven't 00:11:41.330 --> 00:11:45.289 loaded them up. Sure. You guys. Also do something 00:11:45.289 --> 00:11:47.529 called, I can't read my own handwriting, but 00:11:47.529 --> 00:11:49.269 I think it's called, was it Quarters for Change? 00:11:49.370 --> 00:11:50.889 Quarters for Change. This is really great. Can 00:11:50.889 --> 00:11:52.649 you talk about that a little bit too? So when 00:11:52.649 --> 00:11:54.169 we actually had our 100th anniversary, which 00:11:54.169 --> 00:11:56.529 is back in 2020. Congratulations. Thank you. 00:11:56.590 --> 00:11:58.350 Five years later, but congratulations. Five this 00:11:58.350 --> 00:12:00.629 year. But back then, we were trying to figure 00:12:00.629 --> 00:12:02.870 out what we can do to celebrate 100 years in 00:12:02.870 --> 00:12:05.250 business. And as a small family business, the 00:12:05.250 --> 00:12:07.490 big part is the community. I mean, if the community 00:12:07.490 --> 00:12:09.370 wasn't supporting us, we wouldn't be in existence. 00:12:10.060 --> 00:12:12.360 So back in 2020, we came up with our program 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:14.919 10 Decades of Giving. And so we partnered with 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.539 10 different nonprofits in Syracuse. And then 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:19.159 each one of the months for the first 10 months 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:21.639 of the year, we were donating a portion of all 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:23.759 of our sales to each one of those nonprofits 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.600 in support. as a thank you to the community. 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:30.899 And unfortunately, 2020 happened and we hit COVID 00:12:30.899 --> 00:12:33.259 and all of that did not work out as well as we 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:35.399 wanted. We were hoping to, we wanted to actually 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:37.240 hit a hundred thousand dollars in donations and 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:40.179 we only hit like 38, I think that year. Just 00:12:40.179 --> 00:12:42.799 because of the way that you're planned out. But 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:44.620 in a way to kind of continue the whole idea of 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:47.200 giving back, we came up with this program. I 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:51.259 am a very avid vinyl record collector. Nice. 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:53.860 And so when I had the opportunity, I actually 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:58.600 had a custom jukebox made. Oh, it's the last 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:02.440 manufactured jukebox in America right now. Rockola 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:06.299 is no way. We are best friends whether you want 00:13:06.299 --> 00:13:09.940 it or not because I've told my wife that I if 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:14.059 we come across a Vintage jukebox in good condition 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:15.919 like I'm gonna splurge. I'm gonna get it. So 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:17.799 I keep going. I'm sorry. I'm just very excited 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.519 No, no, no, so I sat down with the owner. His 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:22.639 name is Alexander really great guy We talked 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:24.600 about what I wanted we wanted it to tie in with 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:26.659 the candy store so it has like the rainbow lights 00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:29.299 and the bubbles and the whole bit and all custom, 00:13:29.299 --> 00:13:33.610 you know and So we ordered that and i was like 00:13:33.610 --> 00:13:35.570 well now i'm gonna have this jukebox where am 00:13:35.570 --> 00:13:37.610 i gonna put it and i said let's bring it to the 00:13:37.610 --> 00:13:39.330 candy store and then we were thinking what can 00:13:39.330 --> 00:13:41.309 we do to kind of give that whole vintage looking 00:13:41.309 --> 00:13:43.830 nostalgia look for that and we were like well 00:13:43.830 --> 00:13:45.950 let's just continue the whole giving back so. 00:13:46.620 --> 00:13:48.960 Back in 2023, we started the program, Quarters 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.720 for Change, and we basically align with different 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.220 nonprofits every month, and all the quarters 00:13:54.220 --> 00:13:56.299 that it collects, because it's like a bank, go 00:13:56.299 --> 00:13:59.620 directly to the nonprofits. Not only is that 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:02.460 so giving, so kind, and for all the obvious reasons, 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:04.980 but that's so creative, man. You could tell that 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:07.500 you worked in the creative industry, theater. 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:10.759 You're like me, where I come from a performance 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:13.240 background, and somehow I always apply some sort 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:17.480 of performance or music. creativity within whatever 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:20.960 I'm doing. That's amazing. Do you do you have 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:23.960 is it forty fives? I'm assuming. Yeah. And do 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:25.639 you collect only forty fives or do you collect 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:28.539 them all? No. In the jukebox, do you have candy 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:32.100 theme songs like the Archie's? I'm trying to 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:35.980 think of your sugar sugar pop. Yeah. Mr. Sandman, 00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:38.600 there's of course Candy Man is in there. Yeah. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:41.860 Sammy Davis Jr.'s version of that. Yeah, and 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:44.120 we'll we'll switch them out. So every month, 00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:46.460 like I have my collections quite extensive. So 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:48.220 every now and then I'll switch out records or 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:50.200 put new ones in. We actually have a thing on 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:53.320 the website where you can request. So if we have 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:54.899 it, we'll put it in for the next month, which 00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:57.320 is kind of cool. But and even if you're online 00:14:57.320 --> 00:14:59.399 and making a purchase, you can also donate to 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:01.360 the jukebox and then we put the quarter in in 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:03.700 the store. I mean this respectfully. You know, 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:05.120 when if someone was here, you're going to have 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.019 someone on to talk about their family candy shop. 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:09.100 They're probably thinking, OK, this will be just 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.679 a cute little interview with five. And this was 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:13.299 the whole reason we wanted to have you on that. 00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:15.419 It's not just a candy shop for all the reasons 00:15:15.419 --> 00:15:17.240 you're just listing. And I just I'm absolutely 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.679 in love with it. You guys do everything from 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:22.659 candy trays, molded chocolates. Fruitworks, chocolate 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:27.000 truffles, brittles, pretzels and something also 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:31.080 called pack and pour. What is that about? So 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:33.080 did I say that right? Is it pick and pour? Pick 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:34.840 and pour. Sorry. Again, I have terrible handwriting. 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:37.039 So one of our things we want to do for the hundred 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:39.200 and fifth anniversary is we wanted to give everyone 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.100 an opportunity to do something truly unique. 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:43.419 So we came up with an idea that we were going 00:15:43.419 --> 00:15:45.360 to make it so that people could go on our website 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:48.879 and order a custom candy bar. Our brickles, which 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:52.559 are basically like chocolate barks okay we've 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:54.539 made 80 different varieties of them and they're 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:57.980 crazy um if you go onto the website but um a 00:15:57.980 --> 00:15:59.279 lot of people come in and like have you ever 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:01.299 done this or have you ever done this and then 00:16:01.299 --> 00:16:03.659 at a certain point it's like well i can't continue 00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:06.600 to make hundreds of these, you know, it's just 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:08.279 going to be too hard. So why don't we just give 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:10.799 the customer the opportunity to do something 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:12.899 truly unique so you can send it as a gift. You 00:16:12.899 --> 00:16:15.919 can give it as a, you know, I mean, truly, what's 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:18.340 the best unique gift you can ever give is something 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:21.179 custom made for someone. Absolutely. So you can 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:24.600 either do a one pound chocolate bar and you can 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:26.759 add up to four different ingredients inside the 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.490 chocolate bar. You can name it. So and then it 00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:32.210 even comes with a custom little tag on there 00:16:32.210 --> 00:16:35.330 that says made for. So it's packaged to its packaged. 00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:38.070 And then so you need to do that. Or you can also 00:16:38.070 --> 00:16:39.909 do our bags of brickle. So you need to get a 00:16:39.909 --> 00:16:41.929 one pound candy bar or five bags of brickle. 00:16:42.070 --> 00:16:45.570 And actually, oh, boy, I was hoping the bag would 00:16:45.570 --> 00:16:48.149 come out, Danny. I brought two of the pick and 00:16:48.149 --> 00:16:52.309 pour brickles. One was the Raspberry Coffee Tribute. 00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:54.570 OK, that was one of the names to a customer with 00:16:54.570 --> 00:16:56.789 that idea. And then the other one was made for 00:16:56.789 --> 00:17:00.169 mix. Amazing. And so now they go home with this 00:17:00.169 --> 00:17:02.830 candy. You don't carry it after it's just kind 00:17:02.830 --> 00:17:05.289 of a one time deal. Basically if they order it, 00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:07.869 we make just enough for the order. So it's a 00:17:07.869 --> 00:17:10.309 custom one off. If it's something they like, 00:17:11.210 --> 00:17:14.009 we obviously just keep the recipe on hand and 00:17:14.009 --> 00:17:16.420 they can always reorder. Can they do you stamp 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:18.779 the candy as well with anything? We don't stamp 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:20.960 the candy. The candy bar is like its own shape. 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.119 Gotcha. But like these are I mean, obviously 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:24.960 you can see that they're really different and 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:27.759 the labels are all customized. Amazing, man. 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:32.380 That is that's so great. I we're going to go 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:33.500 there. We're going to come and we're going to 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:35.980 shoot now a couple more questions, because I 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:37.440 know I don't want to take up too much of your 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.089 time. Another feature that seems, I guess. You 00:17:41.089 --> 00:17:44.269 know, in 2025, it's not unheard of. But I think 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:47.250 in in your industry, it's really unique. You 00:17:47.250 --> 00:17:50.309 guys deliver. You deliver. And even on your website, 00:17:50.690 --> 00:17:53.650 you list where you do like it's very specific. 00:17:54.730 --> 00:17:57.230 Have you always been doing that? So and is there 00:17:57.230 --> 00:17:59.809 like a minimum? So there's no minimum. You're 00:17:59.809 --> 00:18:01.690 paying for the fee. There's a flat fee for I 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.420 mean, for each. Yeah, you can order. Five things. 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:06.420 You can order 500 things. It really doesn't matter. 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:09.680 Um, we, uh, we actually partnered a few years 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:12.460 back with, uh, 1 -800 flowers. They approach 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:14.720 that being a fulfillment for Sherry's berries 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:17.700 and fruit bouquets. So if you ever order Sherry's 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.359 berries or fruit bouquets and you're within certain 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:22.180 zip codes, more than likely they're coming directly 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:25.109 from us. Wow. We've partnered with them. I want 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:27.950 to say it's been 11 years now. So when that happens, 00:18:28.529 --> 00:18:30.349 we were like, OK, well, I guess we need a delivery 00:18:30.349 --> 00:18:32.849 driver and we need to have a delivery truck. 00:18:32.890 --> 00:18:35.809 And we started doing deliveries. And obviously, 00:18:36.069 --> 00:18:38.930 we do a lot more than just stuff for them. Right. 00:18:39.490 --> 00:18:41.750 Yeah. So we do a local delivery within 20 miles 00:18:41.750 --> 00:18:46.339 of Syracuse. That's absolutely phenomenal. So 00:18:46.339 --> 00:18:49.619 this is a family business and right now it's 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:52.819 you're running the show. Do we have anybody in 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:57.420 line? to carry this on after. Are we are we setting 00:18:57.420 --> 00:19:00.059 up another generation for the family business? 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:03.720 Well, there is a fifth generation. They're all 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:05.960 still in elementary school. They're a little 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:08.680 young yet. But again, when I was in elementary 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:11.480 school, I was stuffing bags and making baskets. 00:19:11.819 --> 00:19:14.599 So, yeah, it's just a matter of time. Sure. We 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:18.670 do. We do have the possibility of that. But I'm 00:19:18.670 --> 00:19:20.970 also not going to put it on anyone. It's one 00:19:20.970 --> 00:19:22.750 of those things where I think that I felt a lot 00:19:22.750 --> 00:19:25.069 of pressure from not my direct family, not my 00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:27.430 immediate family, but a lot of my distant cousins, 00:19:27.869 --> 00:19:29.730 great aunts and uncles. They were like, oh, you're 00:19:29.730 --> 00:19:33.150 taking it on next. I'm like, who signed that? 00:19:34.109 --> 00:19:36.390 Says who? I didn't commit to that. And it wasn't 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:38.369 until I went into what I thought I wanted to 00:19:38.369 --> 00:19:40.829 do that I missed the family business part of 00:19:40.829 --> 00:19:43.789 it. Oh, that's awesome. A couple more things 00:19:43.789 --> 00:19:46.609 real quick. I did notice you have a Willy Wonka 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:50.059 which is one of my top 10 favorite movies of 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:52.099 all time. I just actually introduced my kids 00:19:52.099 --> 00:19:57.400 to it. Willie, was that any sort of influence 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:00.099 on you? Was it was it a big part of the family 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:01.839 tradition that you guys always watch that movie 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:04.819 because it's centered around candy? Is it a significant 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:06.880 does it play a significant role in the in the 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:11.109 speech family? In general it to be totally funny 00:20:11.109 --> 00:20:13.730 way my sister a few years ago for Christmas who 00:20:13.730 --> 00:20:15.569 actually works with me she's my manager at the 00:20:15.569 --> 00:20:19.089 store she actually. had a custom poster made 00:20:19.089 --> 00:20:21.509 with the three Willy Wonkas. So you have Gene 00:20:21.509 --> 00:20:25.309 Wilder, Johnny Depp and Timothee Chalamet on 00:20:25.309 --> 00:20:27.710 a thing. And then I'm the fourth one. And it's 00:20:27.710 --> 00:20:30.890 all says Candyman, Andrea. I'm like, yes. And 00:20:30.890 --> 00:20:34.309 my one of our license plates, a Candyman. Yes. 00:20:34.470 --> 00:20:36.589 And then my license plates on my truck say Syracuse 00:20:36.589 --> 00:20:40.109 Wonka. So, yeah, it does play a pretty big you. 00:20:40.309 --> 00:20:42.430 Man, you get it. You just get it. You get it 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:45.029 across the board. Jukebox is custom license plates. 00:20:45.369 --> 00:20:49.950 You're absolutely Amazing. Two or three quick 00:20:49.950 --> 00:20:54.210 rapid fire questions before we go. OK, the favorite 00:20:54.210 --> 00:20:56.670 vinyl in your collection. Do you have one? I 00:20:56.670 --> 00:20:59.470 do. Really? Right off the top of your head. OK, 00:20:59.650 --> 00:21:01.549 all the time. Kylie Minogue came out with an 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:05.970 album called Disco a few years back and you jam 00:21:05.970 --> 00:21:07.970 out to every single song. So when I'm there at 00:21:07.970 --> 00:21:09.430 two o 'clock in the morning, I put that vinyl 00:21:09.430 --> 00:21:12.410 on. I feel that. Do you I've heard people say 00:21:12.410 --> 00:21:15.109 that. Music sounds better on a jukebox. Do you 00:21:15.109 --> 00:21:18.190 believe that? I do. I do too. I love the I love 00:21:18.190 --> 00:21:20.670 the pops the clicks that actually gives it it's 00:21:20.670 --> 00:21:23.410 more character driven. It's got real like a robust 00:21:23.410 --> 00:21:26.539 sound that you just Can't find it. And with that 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:28.079 jukebox, we were able to have it custom made 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:30.240 so it feeds into their entire store. So like 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:31.920 when you play the jukebox, all the rest of the 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.480 music cuts out and it's just the jukebox. So 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:37.339 that was one of the custom. So good. And it's 00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:39.119 a win win because it's your collection. So it's 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:40.440 not like a song is going to come on. You're going 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:42.680 to go, oh, you know, it's it's every it's everything 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:44.240 from your collection. My sister doesn't like 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.619 when the Muppets manamana play. Well, it's great. 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:50.220 Roll her eyes. She's like or Fraggle Rock. I 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:55.700 have a rock. That's great. It's so awesome. So 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:57.740 if we're doing favorite vinyl, this is probably 00:21:57.740 --> 00:22:00.640 harder. Favorite chocolate or candy that you 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:02.799 guys make? That's a hard one. And I have to say, 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.519 it's depending on what I'm making. OK. Like if 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:07.740 my hands are in caramel, you're going caramel. 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:10.079 I'm going caramel. If I'm doing something with 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.859 a dark chocolate and sea salt, I'm tasting some 00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:15.039 of that. And if I'm coming to your store and 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:17.319 I've never been there and I say, just give me 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:19.599 like one of your signature, what's one I have 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:22.490 to try? More than likely, our chocolate potato 00:22:22.490 --> 00:22:26.809 chips. Those are you. Tell me you brought some. 00:22:26.849 --> 00:22:28.849 I'm leaving here with diabetes and I'm fine with 00:22:28.849 --> 00:22:31.809 it. Brought some. So our chocolate potato chips 00:22:31.809 --> 00:22:33.829 are probably our number one staple from the 80s 00:22:33.829 --> 00:22:35.670 when my parents took over the business. Have 00:22:35.670 --> 00:22:37.289 you guys ever heard of chocolate covered? You 00:22:37.289 --> 00:22:39.150 have? I've never heard of chocolate covered potato 00:22:39.150 --> 00:22:43.289 chips. That is outstanding. And last question, 00:22:43.410 --> 00:22:47.630 your busiest season, because I would think Christmas 00:22:47.630 --> 00:22:50.559 or Valentine's Day. Sometimes it's not as obvious, 00:22:50.740 --> 00:22:54.019 though. So it's funny. Christmas is our longest 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:56.160 season, our busiest season. Sure. Because that 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:58.480 starts basically in November. OK. Our busiest 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:01.210 day of the year is Valentine's Day. Okay, makes 00:23:01.210 --> 00:23:05.890 sense. And where can we go to brick and mortar 00:23:05.890 --> 00:23:08.890 location website? All the plugs, give it to us. 00:23:09.309 --> 00:23:11.670 Okay, our brick and mortar store is at 2400 Lodi 00:23:11.670 --> 00:23:13.109 Street. It's on the corner of Court and Lodi 00:23:13.109 --> 00:23:16.730 on the north side. And then the website is speechfamilycandy 00:23:16.730 --> 00:23:21.150 .com or speechcandy .com or there's like 20 different 00:23:21.150 --> 00:23:23.839 URLs. I'll lead you back to the same place. That's 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.559 amazing. Michael speech from the speech family 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:30.220 candy shop. I've had so much fun with you. You're 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:32.940 a very unique person and you guys are a very 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.500 unique business and we really appreciate you. 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:38.180 And I'm serious. I think we should come in and 00:23:38.180 --> 00:23:40.359 shoot if you if you want. We'll talk off here. 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:42.900 I think it'd be really fun to come in. And how 00:23:42.900 --> 00:23:45.079 can I not? I mean, I wanted to before I knew 00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:48.039 about the jukebox. So maybe we can reshoot you 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:51.650 doing the Candyman song. Remember the Candyman 00:23:51.650 --> 00:23:55.309 can we could reshoot the music video? No, Danny 00:23:55.309 --> 00:23:58.549 says no, I say yes. All right, maybe not. Anyway, 00:23:59.089 --> 00:24:00.769 Michael speech from the speech family candy shop. 00:24:00.849 --> 00:24:03.970 Check them out. And thank you for tuning in to 00:24:03.970 --> 00:24:08.250 Good News York. We'll be back Monday. Good News 00:24:08.250 --> 00:24:10.069 York sponsored by ads on the go get ads on the 00:24:10.069 --> 00:24:12.470 go .com. You can follow me on all social media 00:24:12.470 --> 00:24:15.809 at Mike BTV. Thanks for tuning in and eat some 00:24:15.809 --> 00:24:16.089 candy.