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Thursday, June 27, 2002
Patricia McCarthy: ShopTalk
Saco's sweet success story
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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Also on this page: CATHERINE R. COUSENS | |
Q: Why the name Way-Way? A: My husband's grandfather finished building the store in 1929 and built a sign in cement over the door that says "Way-Way" because it was way, way out of town. That sign is just like the store — unusual. Q: That sure was a tough time to be starting a business. A: Yes, it was just getting started in the heart of the Depression. And he built it from 1927 to 1929, hauling all of the gravel himself and everything else — there was no big equipment or anything. He had had a one-room general store with one gasoline pump near his farmhouse and built the Way-Way next door. At the time it was the only store between Saco and Buxton, and it sold a little bit of everything — men's clothing, ax handles — and they cut their own meat. And they always sold candy, but not like today. Now that we're so near Wal-Mart and grocery stores, we've had to evolve and get into something more unique. Q: So how did the focus come to be on candy? A: My husband's father was a mechanic who took over the business, and I started helping him as he got older in the 1970s and happened to notice that customers always seemed to want candy, so I figured let's give them candy. And that was like opening a Pandora's box! Q: So what do you carry now? A: We have a T-shirt rack, a toy rack, ice cream and basic groceries, a Slush Puppie machine, coffee, canned goods, dried beans, greeting cards, but mostly we're known as The Candy Store. We have everything from penny candy to whatever is popular and children want. Q: From what to what? A: We've got a trailer truck full! Ten different flavors of Tootsie Rolls, eight flavors of sour candies, cherry balls, sour balls, Mint Juleps, Mary Janes — over 50 kinds of penny candies. Plus, Jolly Rancher sticks and kisses, six flavors of Airheads, Tangy Taffy. And old-fashioned kinds like coconut rainbow strips and watermelon strips that we keep in Tupperware containers because they're not wrapped. We have bubble-gum sticks, which used to be bubble-gum "cigarettes," and Atomic FireBalls and Jawbreakers, a new kind of candy that looks like a tube of toothpaste that flies off the counter, Nerds, caramel creams, Cow Tales. And we also have regular candy bars at another counter. Q: How do you keep track of all of it for ordering? A: We have a constant list going and just write down when we're getting short on something. It's a big challenge to stay on top of it — and also to know what's new and to know the fads. We get a candy-buyer's magazine to help stay up to date. There's no day when we're not ordering or having orders come in. Q: What kind of memorable fad candies have come and gone? A: Oh, I think they had candy called Snot that was shaped like a nose that I refused to carry! And we still carry Thumb Suckers that have been around a while. It's sort of a lollipop that you push onto your thumb. We had a weird thing for a while that came in a container that looked like a face with holes on top, and you squeezed the stuff through the holes so that it looked like hair that you licked it off. And Baby Bottle Pops are still popular. Q: What are the perennial favorites? A: Mary Janes, Bit-O-Honey, Tootsie Rolls. Q: So you're open seven days a week with just two employees? How do you manage? A: Margaret has worked here since she was a little girl, and is wonderful with children and customers, and my husband does all of the maintenance work and helps with everything. And my sister helps put together candy and toy grab bags once a week. We're open until 5 p.m. every day and open at 6:30 weekday mornings. Q: That's pretty grueling. Do you ever take a vacation? A: Nope. The hours are long, but we think it's better than sitting home in a rocking chair thinking about your aches and pains. The days go by fast, and not too many people leave the shop without a smile on their face. Q: What do you like about this job? A: Just about everything. I'm not saying that we don't feel tired at the end of the day — we do. But I love the one-on-one with people and the challenge of running this business. In the beginning it was really a challenge. I was not a businesswoman, and my husband had another job when we took over after my husband's father died. So I had to learn it all. But now we see people who came in when they were children bring in their grandchildren, and it's fun. We never planned any of this. It just blossomed. Q: Do you ever think about cutting back? A: Not yet. The day may come when we have to soon, but we don't mind the pace. When I'm sweating and wondering how I'm going to get to all the people in line, I can remember days when the cars would go by and we'd wonder why people weren't stopping. So we're happy to have it this way. Q: Why do you think the store has endured? A: Well, we've tried to keep things as they always have been as much as possible. People really enjoy that because nothing else is like that anymore. People walk in all the time and say, "Oh my goodness, it's just like walking back into the '40s and '50s! This is how we used to buy candy, piece by piece!" Life is so fast now, and people like going back in time to when things were a little quieter. It's nostalgic for a lot of people. And people tell us it's the one-on-one they get here. If we expanded or modernized, we wouldn't be the Way-Way Store. Q: Do you eat much candy yourself? A: Very little! But if I were going to let myself go, it'd be for chocolate. I've always liked candy, but never overdone it. ABOUT SHOPTALK Shoptalk allows people to describe in their own words the rewards and challenges of their jobs. In doing so, they reflect the energy, imagination and hard work that characterize the workplace in Maine. The questions for Shoptalk are compiled by copy editor Patricia McCarthy. Do you know of someone who would make an interesting candidate for Shoptalk? Send your suggestion to McCarthy at 791-6293 or pmccarthy@pressherald.com.
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