Building the Valley: Harmar candy store to relocate, rebrand in Buffalo Township

After four years, Harmar’s niche candy store Oh How Sweet It Is will be moving and opening at a new home in early September.

Owner Robert Wyant announced the move recently in a Facebook post. The candy store will relocate to plaza in South Pike Square in Buffalo Township. Wyant said if he was able to, he would have moved sooner. He opened his candy shop in 2018 in Harmar.

There are plans for a new name and theme for the shop.

“There is no walk-in traffic here, and that’s what I need to take me to the next level,” Wyant said.

The new location will be near a pizza shop, sports bar and Freeport Area Senior High School to encourage customer traction to the store, he said. Wyant mentioned the possibility of students and parents stopping by from sports events.

“Demographics will be better for me. That will be a great hit,” Wyant said.

He said he eventually has plans to recruit students as part-time employees. Wyant currently runs the store himself.

The move had been on Wyant’s mind for a while, as he faced times of uncertainty during the pandemic. The store was closed for two months beginning in March 2020. He missed out on Easter, one of his busiest holidays. When he reopened, he said, the damage had been done: He lost many regular customers, and foot traffic was slow.

Wyant said he wants to avoid his business going downhill.

“For me to grow, if I stay where I am at, I am just going to dwindle,” he said. “I have no reason to stay.”

Supervisor Bob Exler said it will be sad to see the store leave the area, but he wishes the best for Wyant. Exler said he enjoyed his visits to the store to buy candy.

“Guys my age enjoy any chance they can get to go back to their childhood, and that’s what it did for me,” Exler said.

Wyant has managed to keep his shop afloat with freeze-dried candy, a trendy invention. The process involves freeze-drying candy to help preserve it. The technique results in a wafer-like texture, and the candy melts in a person’s mouth. Wyant said he has used the process on a variety of candy, including Skittles, Jolly Ranchers and Sour Patch Kids.

He said he wants to incorporate the candy in his store’s catalog. The ice cream line also will be expanded to offer banana splits, sundaes and milkshakes.

The new location will have a space theme. Wyant said he plans to keep the new name of the store a surprise until its grand or soft opening in September.

“I just want them to know it will be an experience walking through my door,” he said.