The Candy Bar has brought the old neighborhood style candy shop back to Nky

Joe Barta has always had the dream to open up his own candy store, and in the process, bring back the old neighborhood style candy shop many grew up with.  On Labor Day weekend Barta’s dream came true when he opened The Candy Bar in Covington’s Mainstrasse Village. While the business has always been a dream of Barta’s, he had always thought it might be a retirement venture until the struggling job market fast-tracked his plans earlier this year.  After tossing the idea around with his family, Barta then took his general business plan to Northern Kentucky University’s Small Business Development Center where they refined his plan and determined that his business venture was indeed a good one. The Small Business Development Center was a “tremendous help” according to Barta who was unsure whether it was the right time and right plan to open such an establishment.  “Fortunately we were able to get the traffic from the UK/Miami football game, Riverfest, and Oktoberfest celebrations on Mainstrasse,” said Barta. The 300 square-foot store located between the fountain and clocktower on Mainstrasse was a spot that Barta says he immediately fell in love with.  “It’s family friendly, there is a park immediately across the street, and has access to lots of festivals,” said Barta about the location which would also make for a great purchase eventually. “I would love to buy the building and move my family upstairs while running the store out of the retail space on the first level,” said Barta. The Candy Bar is currently offers around 250 different types of candy; some of which date back more than 100 years.  The types of available candy is still growing as a unique feature to The Candy Bar is the board at the front of the store where customers can request a particular candy that they may remeber from their childhood. Barta notes that candy bars sell for around $1, and several candies are sold as two or three for a quarter.  “Candy is a treat and you don’t need the supersize me mentality when it comes to buying candy,” said Barta who goes on to say that The Candy Bar does not sell a lot of bulk sizes. The store is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm, Sunday from 1pm to 8pm and is closed on Mondays. Writer: Randy A. Simes Photography by Scott Beseler Stay connected and follow Randy on Twitter @SoapboxRandy