Harmar candy store gets innovative while figuring out how to stay afloat

A year ago, Oh How Sweet It Is owner Robert Wyant was unsure of his candy store’s future in Harmar.

Wyant had to close the store for two months in March 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic. While the store was closed, Wyant missed out on his busiest holidays, such as Easter. When he was able to reopen, customer traction was low, and he lost a lot of regular customers.

This past December brought a sliver of hope with business picking up for the holiday season. An estimated 300 to 400 customers frequented his shop in the past couple of months.

The omicron variant has created another worry for Wyant, who runs the store by himself.

“I do not know what is going to happen with that (the virus),” he said. “I just have to get used to it.”

The 48-year-old had to become creative over the past year to keep his business thriving.

Wyant saw an opportunity when he noticed freeze-dried candy becoming the latest new candy craze the past couple months. 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.

At Oh How Sweet It Is, the new creation has given Wyant endless possibilities for what he can sell.

He has freeze-dried Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Sour Patch Kids and more. He uses two machines to place candy in to freeze-dry. Once they are dehydrated and present a new texture, they’re sealed in bags.

“This is probably the greatest thing I have done to date because people have never heard about it,” Wyant said.

While there is the online option to buy freeze-dried candy on sites such as Etsy, most people aren’t making them in a commercial environment, Wyant said.

Oh How Sweet It Is opened in July 2018. Before opening his business, he was a vendor for Fudgie Wudgie Fudge Co.

Customers can indulge in other sweet treats in the store as it offers more than 1,500 items — including 13 flavors of Hershey’s Ice Cream, 75 old-fashioned cane sugar drinks and retro candy.

Springdale resident Larry Werries loves being able to buy candy he grew up eating. Werries visits the shop at least once a month to buy sweets for himself and his friends.

“He runs this store very efficiently and makes sure to greet people,” Werries said. “He is always nice to talk to.”

Most customer traction that Wyant’s store receives is from customers such as Werries who notice it while driving by.

“If I would be able to move, I would definitely need to find somewhere with walk-in traffic,” Wyant said.

As Wyant continues to adjust, the challenges are worth it.

“By no means will I be rich, but I didn’t think about that going into this,” he said. “I like what I do and have a passion for it.”