The Candy Store on Richmond Road in Lightfoot will be closing its doors May 18.
The Candy Store is one of two retail locations owned by the wholesale and distribution company First Source LLC, which also operates the Wythe Candy & Gourmet Shop in Merchants Square. A going-out-of-business sale will begin this month in an effort to liquidate inventory until the store closes in May.
The decision to close will not affect employees, as all current employees at The Candy Store will be offered employment at Wythe Candy for the same number of hours, said Terri Morgan, director of retail sales.
Forbes Candies opened the Merchants Square store in 1961 as an extension of its company based in the Outer Banks and Virginia Beach; candies sold in the store were made in its basement. In 1970, land was purchased in Lightfoot to build a kitchen and warehouse location, which were operated out of the same space as The Candy Shop.
In 2004, The Candy Shop converted to a retail-only store and the warehouse was moved to Toano.
The company changed hands in the 1970s and expanded its distribution business. Since then, the company has acquired smaller companies across the country, with the most recent purchase of California-based Garvey Nut & Candy in November. First Source brings in about $350 million in annual revenue across its operations.
