Skip's Candies
Skip's Candy Corner & Skip's Sugar Shack
Peddler's Village, Shop# 27 & 23A
215-794-8087

Nut-free candy
 


 

 

 

In The News
 


 

 


 


Posted: Sunday, August 21, 2011 12:00 am



 

Art Gentile / Staff photographer
Skip Pietrak, the long-time owner of Skip’s Candy Corner
in Peddler’s Village, and daughter Kim Pietrak-Decher
show off some of their creations. Pietrak-Decher, is
set to open Skip’s Sugar Shack, a nut-free candy shop,
next month across the street from the family candy store.

 

 

Having parents who run a candy store can be every child’s dream.

But for 3-year-old Coulton Decher, who was diagnosed about a year ago with a severe peanut allergy, a visit to the store his mom and grandparents run in Peddler’s Village could quickly turn into a nightmare.

Soon, however, there will be a place for Coulton and other food-allergic kids to enjoy a bit of the sweet life, worry-free.

Coulton’s mother, Kim Pietrak-Decher, is set to open Skip’s Sugar Shack next month across the street from the family candy store, Skip’s Candy Corner. The Sugar Shack will offer a nut-free environment for birthday parties, classes and demonstrations, and will allow Pietrak-Decher and her parents, Skip and Janet Pietrak, to make allergen-free candy for the retail store.

“You want them to feel like every other kid, but they can’t,” Pietrak-Decher said. “It could be life threatening to them.”

Pietrak-Decher and her husband, Mike, discovered Coulton’s allergy about a year ago. He went into severe anaphylactic shock after eating a small amount of peanut butter on bread, Pietrak-Decher said.

Suddenly, a trip to Skip’s was a hazard.

“Owning a candy store, you stop and think, there’s nothing in the store my son can have,” Pietrak-Decher said. “It opened our eyes to a lot.”

Peanut items were moved to higher shelves, and the family became experts on keeping nut-free surfaces. They also watch Coulton closely to make sure he doesn’t grab any products with peanuts. But getting rid of peanuts wasn’t an option.

“It doesn’t make sense for a candy store to pull nuts out,” Pietrak-Decher said. “It’s one of your top items.”

Lynda Mitchell, president of the Doylestown-based Kids with Food Allergies Foundation, said businesses catering to allergic customers has grown as food allergies have become more prevalent. An estimated 3 million children in the U.S. have food allergies, according to the foundation.

“There are more and more children that need to have special accommodations to keep them safe,” said Mitchell, mom to a grown son with a severe dairy allergy. “To have peanuts and tree nuts out of that environment completely is reassuring to the parents, but it’s also safer for the young children.”

Mitchell said the Sugar Shack not only gives parents a party option they otherwise wouldn’t have, it also can create loyal customers who appreciate the work Pietrak-Decher has put in to create a safe environment.

“We get really used to just having to do it all ourselves,” she said. “That’s the way it has to be. To have an option where children could go and take advantage would be a really neat thing.”

Pietrak-Decher said she’s gone out of her way to find manufacturers who have no nuts in their facilities. She has a binder with all ingredient information to show parents.

Kids who attend parties will get to make and take candy molds and decorate allergen-free cupcakes provided by an outside baker.

Skip’s Sugar Shack, set to open in mid September in the former Touch of Britain retail store, is Pietrak-Decher’s way of turning a negative into a positive.

“I don’t have to worry,” she said. “It takes a lot off me.”

 


                      

Voted Best Candy Store              3rd Place
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Friday September 3, 2010
95.7 BEN-FM
Marilyn (morning show personalities) shout out to us.


 

 

Dogged determination spurs protection for K-9s

The Intelligencer
February 11, 2010
 
A candy shop will present special vests for police officers' four-legged friends in Warminster and Quakertown.

Who would have thought that taking a bite out of crime could taste so sweet?

A Peddler's Village candy shop, which has been raising money to aid police K-9 units in Bucks County, planned to present two ballistic and stab-resistant dog vests next week to the police chiefs of Warminster and Quakertown.

The vests, which cost more than $800 each, were purchased with funds raised by Kim Pietrak-Decher, the owner of Skip's Candy Corner, and her husband, Northampton police Officer Michael P. Decher.

For the past two years, the shop has been setting aside a percentage of the sales of their pet-related products and gift baskets to purchase the vests.

The Plumstead husband and wife believe the vest donations are just the beginning of their efforts to raise funds for and draw public attention to the needs of these special units.

"There is nothing in Pennsylvania to support these dogs," said Kim Decher.

Well, now there is.

The couple is in the process of forming the Pa K9 Assistance Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to aid "underfunded" K-9 squads locally, statewide and, eventually, nationally.

Mike Decher said many police departments view the K-9 units as specialty items and are not willing to expend funds from their budgets. Warminster has the only canine unit in Central Bucks; Quakertown the sole squad in Upper Bucks.

"When budget cuts come, the special units like the K-9 units are first to get the ax," he said. "Some of the units, like Quakertown's, are funded by donations."

In June 2008, Quakertown Borough Council authorized the K-9 unit after it had received donations and pledges in excess of $9,400, the cost of starting the unit.

"On the average, K-9 officers spend about $500 out of their own pockets on their dogs," Decher said.

The financial strain of operating the units is one of the reasons the Dechers have started the Pa K9 Assistance Foundation. The other motivation for the fundraising is the work that's done by the units.

He said that the units in both municipalities have received hundreds of calls for service to sniff out narcotics, apprehend fleeing criminals and subdue armed suspects.

"I think some suspects are more afraid of a dog than they are of a gun," Decher said. "Criminals are a lot less likely to commit crimes in an area where they know there is a K-9 unit."

The vests that chief Michael Murphy of Warminster and chief Scott McElree of Quakertown will receive for their squads are top of line and will furnish the dog with protection from handguns and shotguns, as well as knives and even ice picks.

The Dechers said that the vests aren't the only pieces of equipment the foundation will be purchasing for the units.

They want to provide heat sensors and cooling units for the cars that transport the dogs.

"There have been dogs who have suffered heat-related deaths because of being left in the car," Decher said. "There are devices out there that can prevent that from happening."

Kim Decher said that the fledgling foundation has received help from High Octane Dog Agility, a canine training facility in Doylestown and Vest-A-Dog.

The Blue Bell-based law firm of Fox Rothschild is doing the legal work to obtain tax-exempt non-profit status for the foundation to allow donations to Pa K9 Assistance to be tax-deductible.

The Dechers, who have three dogs, love animals. They believe a lot people share that love.

"People come into the candy store and see the sign seeking donations, and they give," Kim said.

The store also sells white-coated dog biscuits and other dog treats. Proceeds from the sale of those items go to the foundation.

"We love animals," Kim Decher said, "Starting our foundation so close to Valentine's Day seems just right."

The foundation's Web site can be accessed at www.pak9assistance.org.

Bill Devlin can be reached at 215-345-3179 or wdevlin@phillyBurbs.com.

February 11, 2010 02:32 AM

 


Aired December 1, 2009 on Ch 10. Tim Furlong goes ho-ho-ho holiday shopping at Peddler's Village!

   


 

Aired November 2009 on Ch 6

 


 

Bucks County Herald
Author: Eve Gelman
July 26, 2007
Page 40

Full Story



Author: Anna Wolfe
March, 2007
Specialty Retailers Section

Skip's focuses on old-fashioned candy, customer service

LAHASKA, Pa.--While other retailers may be looking for the hot, new trend to spice up their gourmet retail establishment, one retailer here is content with its focus on old-fashioned candy and customer service.

Skip's Candy Corner, a 2,000-square-foot store here in Peddler's Village, has been approached about franchising several times in its 13 years in business, explained Janet Pietrak, who co-owns the store with her husband Skip. They're not interested. At one time, the couple operated two stores and then consolidated to the larger, corner storefront here in 2002.
"When we had two shops, we couldn't focus on customer service like we do now," she said. Instead, time was spent bouncing back and forth between the two. Preferring a hands-on approach, franchising, too, is out.

"If our name is connected to it, it would be a reflection on us," she said. "If we grow too big, we don't have the capability" to deliver the personal service for which Skip's is known.

When the store is open a minimum of six to eight employees are on the floor. Two employees man each of the store's two check out counters. "I don't want to see people waiting in long lines," said Pietrak. Each employee is trained on a one-on-one basis. And employees sign up for their shifts instead of the Pietrak's writing out a schedule. "We believe one should work to live, not live to work," she said.

The store backs up its strong focus on customer service with a unique product mix--including nostalgic candy brands, sugar-free candies, and sweet treats made on site including fudge and gift baskets.

Nicknamed "candy heaven" by its customers, the store carries a variety of sweets--from imported string licorice from Denmark to sugar-free candies from Ashers Mark Avenue, Madeleine, Koppers and Supreme, and an array of Jelly Belly Candy Co.'s signature sweets.

Seasonal delights such as hot chocolate fill the gondolas on the store floor. In barrels are more traditional year-round sweets such as lollipops, candy bags and beanies.

A tour downstairs showcases raw candy, candy sticks and new candies. Bottled water and cold sodas are on hand for those shoppers needing a liquid pick-me-up.

Pet items including dog and horse biscuits, doggie bandanas and pet bowls are also popular. In the last four years, "our pet area has grown tremendously, said Pietrak. About 25 SKUs are in the store's pet section.

The candy shop also has a reputation for stocking nostalgic candy brands such as Blackjacks, Beeman's French Chews and Bonamo. Also, a bulk candy area lets the customers create their own bag with as little or as much as they want, added Pietrak.

With supermarkets and discount stores also selling candy, as every specialty retailer knows, it's hard to compete on price. To remain competitive, Skip's has a few tactics up its sleeve.

Where it makes sense, Pietrak said the store buys items in bulk and prices those items competitively. "We hook people with low-price items first," said Pietrak. "When I'm shopping, I'm always looking for good deals."

But the items made on site that bring in the regular customers. An assortment of fudge is hand-made on the premises and other signature items include Irish Potatoes that ranks as one of the store's best sellers.

Skip's promotes its store through the village's Web site.
 


Bucks County Courier Times / Intelligencer
Author: Crissa Shoemaker
August 30, 2005
Page 1B

Life Can Be Sweet

Skip Pietrak doesn't look a thing like Willy Wonka, and you'll find no Oompa Loompas working for him.

But he does have a thing or two in common with the fictitious candymaker - he loves chocolate and making customers happy.

At Skip's Candy Corner in Lahaska, those with a sweet tooth can find chocolate-covered pretzels and homemade fudge. There's sugar-free candy that doesn't taste sugar free, freshly made Irish potatoes (the store's specialty) and dozens of kinds of chocolates.

Pietrak, a former Philadelphia firefighter who also owned his own home improvement company, said he is a stickler for quality candy and customer service. He fell in love with the candy business shortly after he retired from the fire department as a lieutenant.

"I never had a passion for chocolate [before then]," the Northampton resident said.

Pietrak makes the chocolate-covered pretzels, fudge, chocolate molds, Irish potatoes and some other candies - none of which anyone else can make to his standards, he said. But he's gotten so busy that someone else makes the rest of the homemade sweets, using Skip's recipes.

His wife, Janet, left her job at a pharmaceutical company last year to help her husband run the store. She brings her scientific accuracy to labeling, inventory and taste testing. Their daughter, Kim Pietrak-Decher, quit her job as a software tester last summer. She's in charge of the computerized inventory and registers.

"It's ironic that the three of us, from the same family, bring something to this business that's so important," Janet Pietrak said. "We work well together."

Skip Pietrak is content to leave the technical stuff to his wife and daughter. He would much rather make the candy and search for special customer requests.

Skip's Candy Corner specializes in hard-to-find candy like French Chews (the predecessor to another favorite, Bonomo's Turkish Taffy), Mallow Cups and Black Jack gum. He even had a stash of the original Goldberg's Peanut Chews, which he sold to a candy collector.

"You've gotta have a niche," Pietrak said. "My niche is nostalgic."

The shop is celebrating its 12th anniversary next week with help from some of its Peddler's Village neighbors. Shoppers who find special Willy Wonka-like golden tickets in Peddler's Village shops Sept. 5 through Sept. 9 will get money off candy bought at Skip's. One lucky ticket comes with a prize donated by Jelly Belly, the jelly bean maker.

Eventually, the Pietraks might retire, leaving the business to future generations of the family. That's fine with Pietrak-Decher, who enjoys using her computer skills, working with customers and being able to spend a lot more time at home.

"It's not a chore," Kim said. "It's a constant vacation. It's fun."

Crissa Shoemaker can be reached at 215-949-4192 or cshoemaker@phillyBurbs.com.

 


 


 

   

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