Plans are coming together for a new Bellefonte business

This spring, everyone with a sweet tooth in Bellefonte will have another reason to smile.

The only question left is where they’ll be smiling in the downtown area.

Chuck Kormanski will open Pappy Chuck’s Candy Shoppe in April — he just has not picked out his location yet. The new business will sell soft serve ice cream and candy that can’t be found at a grocery store.

“It’s not going to be your typical candy,” Kormanski said. “You don’t find other places with a full line of Asher’s Chocolate candies, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans and nostalgic vintage candy like Mary Jane, Cinnamon Buttons and Zagnut bars.”

Kormanski has long thought the town needed a good candy store and a place to eat ice cream. He realized he could do it during a walk near the waterfront.

“I thought, ‘Hey, I can throw them together to make one,’ ” he said. “It seemed like a really cool idea. It’s a throwback, and I think of this like Mr. Hooper on ‘Sesame Street.’ ”

Kormanski, a member of the Bellefonte Intervalley Chamber of Commerce and BelleKey, began small promotions for the business in December that involved offering free pieces of nostalgic candy at storefronts like Confer’s Jewelers and Helen Foxx and Co.

“I met about 500 people who had nothing but excitement,” Kormanski said.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Plans are coming together for a new Bellefonte business."