What candy did you like growing up? Chances are, thinking about it stirs memories, not just of the treat but also of a time and place in your life. My favorite candy bar was the Charleston Chew. I remember biking to a convenience store in Toledo, Ohio, grabbing a strawberry Chew off the rack, giving the cashier 15 cents, ripping off the wrapping and biting through the thin layer of chocolate to the chewy goodness beneath. I also liked taking a bar home, sticking it in the freezer and then eating it in brittle chunks a few hours later.
For years, I was unable to find a Charleston Chew, and then one day, I saw a box of vanilla Chews in a gas station. Even though strawberry had been my favorite, I was thrilled to see a relic of my youth on store shelves again, and snapped one up. Eventually, I found an online outlet that sold strawberry and chocolate, too, and ordered a box.
When I gave one to my son, he rolled his eyes and said, “It tastes so good, I want to marry it.” Kids have no clue.
I never ordered another box, and filed my love of Charleston Chews away with Topps baseball cars, Atari 2600 games, Starlog magazines and the other artifacts of my younger years. A recent discovery, however, allows me to occasionally indulge in a walk down memory lane: The Moonpie Store on Broad Street.
I decided to buy a Moonpie one day after watching a movie at The Majestic, but something else brought me to a screeching halt a few feet in: a Sky Bar. Introduced by Necco in 1938, Sky Bars are chocolate candy bars with four sections, each with a different filling. They are delicious.
I stood there for a moment, zeroed in on the Sky Bar and seeing nothing else, as though I had tunnel vision. As my perspective broadened again, I noticed other familiar names: Black Cow, Big Hunk, Turkish Taffy, Zots, Abba-Zaba and more. It was like reading name tags at a class reunion, only everyone looked just as good as they did when I was young.
The explosion of nostalgia didn’t stop at edible treats. As I looked around me, I saw enough “Star Wars” and classic “Star Trek” memorabilia to stock a small sci-fi convention. The lunch boxes, clocks and mugs reminded me of the summer of 1977, when life consisted of a small group of friends and the movie we saw over and over again.
Therein lies the appeal of nostalgia: it reminds us of simpler times - before mortgages, insurance premiums, credit card interest, smart phone bills and second jobs. It reminds us of when there was space in our lives for Matchbox Cars, Wonder Woman and rearview spy glasses. And as we immerse ourselves in it, those things drop off our tired bones for a few minutes and we’re kids again, eating a Sky Bar and marveling at how good the caramel filling is.
Being inside the Moonpie Store and exploring its shelves for treasures of days gone by is like being held in a warm embrace. But the experience doesn’t end there. When you bite into the candy, it’s like hearing an old song for the first time in years and remembering every note and lyric as though you’d heard it only yesterday. Nostalgia is about more than colorful wrapping; it engages all of the senses. It’s also fun, as a few minutes at the Moonpie Store demonstrates.
The Moonpie Store is a small slice of genius. The owners of the company, who have licensed the Moonpie brand and opened four stores in the South, could have filled their shelves with Moonpies and related merchandise and stopped there. Many people have fond memories of eating a Moonpie and drinking an RC Cola, which alone would have been enough to attract customers. But the classic candy and memorabilia shoot the nostalgic value of the Chattanooga store through the roof. Check it out! Just keep your hands off the Charleston Chews.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.