Two Candy Stores To Shop!
The Candy Vault!Located at 42 S. Washington Street in Sonora, Parking... Well it is downtown Sonora and quite frankly... It sucks! I tend to park in the disabled person's parking spots all the way at the end of Washington St. and go for the distance. Remember it is uphill going back and do not cross the street until you are past the Courthouse park as there is a bad curb there. The Candy Vault is classified in my book as being, mostly accessible. Like most stores, some things are too high to reach, but as you can see in the picture, there is a lot you can reach! Baskets and jars, buckets and bins of... CANDY! Shopping in this store, took me on a trip down memory lane, I had a great time pointing out candies that I haven't seen since I was a little girl, to my daughter. They have everything from those wax soda bottles to BlackJack gum and remember when Jolly Ranchers came in a big, tooth breaking bar? Oh Boy! They also have some strange candy... Various candied bugs and worms (yep they're real), jaw breakers of all sizes and gummies of all shapes, fancy hand dipped chocolates and hershey kisses. Much more than I could ever list. The only part that is totally not accessible is the old bank vault itself, there is just no way to fit a chair through that doorway and no way to change it so if you want to know what is in there... Yes it is more candy! You will have to send a scout in there to describe it for you. The lady who runs the place is as nice and helpful as one could hope for so if you're up for a candy excursion, The Candy Vault is a good place to go!  | Nelson's Columbia Candy Kitchen
 The Candy Kitchen actually has 3 locations. The original one in Columbia State Park. You can't miss it, right on the main street, just down from the stage coach. A new one in the Junction: 1379 Mono Way "M" in Sonora. And another in the town of Murpheys at 380 Main Street. Parking at Columbia, well if you turn into the state park lot, you will have a fairly steep, rutted dirt road to navigate but there are a fair amount of permitted spaces to park in. I choose to drive past the park entrance and park in one of two dirt lots just past the entrance, the best being by the old soap works building, while its not great in wet weather, it's still easier than that hill! In the Junction, the store is pretty much under the clock. There is a couple of permitted spots, next to the sidewalk. As for the Murpheys store, I haven't visited that one so if you know the best parking let me know! I absolutely LOVE Candy Kitchen! They're candy is mostly handmade in Columbia and if you are lucky when you go there, you will be able to watch them make it through a big window on huge marble tables. I love when they make candy canes at Christmas time! Getting into the Columbia Candy Kitchen is a little bit of a hassle, (but well worth it) you'll need to send someone in to ask for the portable ramp, make sure they set it on the right side of the stairs, the left side leaves about a 4 inch gap between the end of the ramp and the door sill. What can I say, old buildings settle in strange ways! It is such a wonderful old store that when I go in I end up taking pictures of fixtures and displays. The candy is OH SO YUMMY!! They have the best peanut brittle and English toffee so buttery and crisp! The chocolates are soo good! Of course the prices match the goodness so anything I buy there is an extra special treat. They have lots of old fashioned choices to from hard candy to hand pulled taffy. The people who work here are dressed in period costume and just as nice and helpful as can be, so if you want some wild west candy, hit the Candy Kitchen! |
