BLAST FROM THE PAST: Brach's Pick-a-Mix

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Photo: Reddit / r/vintatgeads

Growing up one of the best part of being dragged to the grocery store by my mom was the Brach's Pick-a-Mix display stand. I would stand in front of it hoping to convince her to let me fill up a bag with all sorts of goodies. My personal favorites were the Neopolitan sundae, rootbeer barrels, and the royals.  My dad liked the butterscotch discs. The great thing about Pick-a-Mix is that you could create your own customize mix of candy which was sold by the pound. 

Brach's Candy Company was founded in Chicago in 1904 by J. Brach who was a candy salesman. He and his son made candy out of a storefront which became extremely popular. The company quickly expanded into its own factory. In 1948 tragedy struck when the factory exploded and killed 11 employees. According to reports it took 2,500 firefighters to put out the blaze.

The company rebuilt and continued to expand nationwide by offering a wide assortment of candies. In 1958 they introduced the Pick-a-Mix display which was an ingenious marketing idea. The display borrowed the old-time idea when shoppers used to pick their own candy out of barrels. Brach's took this concept and gave it a modern twist with their display design. It was a hit with grocery stores and shoppers. People loved it because you could mix and match candies you wanted which then you'd pay by the pound. The displays varied in their offerings but the main staples were: 

  • Starbrites (in peppermint or spearmint)
  • Neopolitan sundae (which was chocolate, vanilla, and coconut chewy goodness)
  • Brach's Royals (caramels in a variety of flavors such as maple, vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, and butter rum).
  • Jelly Bean Nougat 
  • Perkys - fruit flavored jelly candies
  • Caramels
  • Butterscotch discs
  • Rootbeer barrels
  • Cinnamon discs 

Photo: 100.7 WITL

The Pick-a-Mix displays were around for decades. They started disappearing around the mid-to late 1990s for two reasons: 1) health/safety concerns - jerks sampling candy and putting back in the display; and 2) theft. What do you expect from people nowadays. This is why we can't have nice things. People suck. 

The displays are pretty much extinct. As one of the world's biggest producer of candy today, Brach's still sells their candies in stores but in prepackaged bags. They occasionally offer a an online version of the Pick-a-Mix on their website, but it's not the same thing. 

BTW:  when the company closed its factory in Chicago many years ago, it was left abandoned. In 2003 it was used a film location for The Dark Knight. In 2014, the building was finally demolished. 

Source: OldTimeCandy.com

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