Revere candy maker has change of heart, opens up store to lovers

REVERE – Valentine’s Day traditionalists can go right to the source for their affairs of the heart when The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) throws open the doors to its candy store beginning Saturday at 10 a.m.The move marks the first time in at least two years that the candy factory, which dates back to 1887, has opened the candy store to the public.”It’s something we’ve wanted to do and we thought this would be the perfect time,” said NECCO spokesman Mary Lane. “Valentine’s Day is our marque holiday.”Home to the iconic conversational hearts as well as childhood classics such as Clark Bars, Sky Bars, Mary Janes and, of course, NECCO Wafers, the candy store is located at NECCO’s world headquarters at 135 American Legion Highway.View photos from the plant”We have people stop by nearly everyday asking is it open, especially if they’re traveling from far away,” Lane said. “We have to tell them ?no’ so we’re definitely excited and we hope to have a lot of people come in, from the community too.”Lane said there are no new phrases debuting on the conversational hearts this year but there is a new flavor heart in town, vanilla, and it will only be offered in the candy store.”It’s an exclusive flavor,” she said. “And we’ll have a wall of sweethearts and a little display for our web site, www.necco.com.”Lane said at the website visitors can personalize Valentine wishes for their sweethearts by adding their own message on conversational hearts or NECCO Wafers. She said the service has been available since the end of November and it’s been slowly growing but they are just now streamlining and spreading the word.”We’ll walk them through the process,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of interest.”The store will be open Saturday through Valentine’s Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and all the proceeds raised will go to Boston’s Room to Grow, a charity aimed at enriching the lives of babies born into poverty through their first three years of development.Lane said she expects opening the candy store to be a wonderful experience and a great way to connect with longtime customers.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].