Granny’s Penny Candy opens on Lewis Street

LYNN – Rodney and Cassandra Gamble are doing their part to revive an American institution that for generations made children smile even if it made parents and dentists cringe: the penny candy store.The parents of three children, ages 2, 11 and 16, the Brickett School neighborhood residents opened Granny?s Penny Candy Store at 86 Lewis St. on Saturday.?There hasn?t been anything like this on this street for years,” said Cassandra, who was raised in Lynn. “We wanted to do something that was fun, and give kids today that experience we had when we were their age.”And true to the store?s name, there?s a good selection of candy displayed for a penny, while other pieces and candy bars range up to several dollars.?We want to bring back all the candy the stores had 20 and 30 years ago,” said Rodney, who recalls how he looked forward to weekly trips to a candy store in his Boston neighborhood. “Every Friday if my room was clean and everything was done I?d get the $5 from Mom and go crazy.”The shelves of Granny?s Penny Candy are stocked with long-time staples including Swedish Fish, Cick-O-Sticks, Candy Lipstick, Nik-L-Nips (wax bottles with syrup inside), Slap Sticks, Sweet Tarts, Mary Janes, Squirrel Nuts and Jolly Ranchers.?These were, and still are, my favorite,” Rodney said, pointing to a box of Watchmacallit candy bars. “So we had to have these.”?We have a little bit of everything,” Cassandra said, pointing out newer candy including giant psychedelic jawbreakers and sour cotton candy.?It?s all affordable,” said Cassandra, who also works as a pre-school teacher. There?s even an assortment of free candy for customers to take from at the register.?We?re not looking to get rich on this,” added Rodney, a school bus driver. “We wanted to do this for the kids in the neighborhood ? There?s a lot of kids from Brickett School who walk past here every day and if they have a dollar in their pocket, it can go a long way in here.”Cassandra said she also plans to hold small birthday parties for up to 7 kids, and let them create their own party candy bags. And she expects the store will also be a hit with adults who never lost their sweet tooth.?Adults can come in and make their own candy basket for their wife or girlfriend,” she said, as she took a break from decorating the shop.Asked how they came up with the name for the store, Cassandra explained, “Every grandmother you know who?s at church, she always has candy in her pocket, so I thought maybe Granny?s Penny Candy would be a catchy name.”Rodney added, “When we tell the kids no they go to their grandma and she gives them the candy.”The owners are still waiting for their store sign – which they expect on Thursday – and Cassandra said the Verizon workers? strike has delayed installation of a phone line for the store, but Granny?s Penny Candy, located between A & T Nails and Spa and the Lewis Street Professional Building, is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.Cassandra said she?d also be happy to answer anyone?s questions via e-mail at [email protected].