Children love the exotic candies available and the Penny Candy Store, from rainbow suckers to gummy tarantulas!  Photo by Seti Long

LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - The Penny Candy Store has been a landmark in the Live Oak community and a must-stop for travelers for over 40 years.

The candy store’s cheerful striped exterior and vintage signage beckons passersby to stop-in for a Hawaiian snow or a bag of candy, still available for a $.01. But recently, a new sign hung outside the store. “For Sale” it reads.

After celebrating its 20th anniversary, previous owner Palmira Nava was ready to sell the business and try her hand at something new.

And sell it did to an ambitious and exuberant local, Lorrie Brummett.

Brummett shares the fateful way the store became hers.

Tired of commuting to Sacramento and wishing to be closer to home and family, Brummett was looking for a change and something to do in her retirement years. She happened to walk into her home and saw a newspaper lying on the counter. She picked it up and saw the store for sale. Next thing she knew, she owned a candy store. “And we don’t even get the paper – that’s the strange thing,” she said. “It was meant to be!”

Brumett says she has been “living” at the store since she purchased it, spending long hours getting to know the business, organizing, and forming a plan for her new venture.

As Brummett chatted with the Herald, guests shopped, reminiscing about past memories, or in Judy Mayhew’s case, her aunt’s peanut brittle. “I saw this and had to have it,” she said, putting a package of the brittle in her basket, sharing how it was hard to find and that it brought back precious memories. “It’s not just about the candy”, said Brummett, smiling.

The store is not only a place for sugary treats, but sweet and sentimental memories.

Although Brummett has changes planned, she says, she “[wants to] keep the memories, keep the fun. I want to keep that sense of wonder and joy,” that children and adults experience as they grab their baskets and start filling them with candy.

Some future changes include the store’s layout as she groups candies together and brings in a larger selection of sugar-free items, the addition of a sundae/milkshake bar, and more.

Thanks to a COVID-19 small business grant procured by the previous owner, both the inside and outside of the building will get a facelift. Plans are to install new floors, a new roof, and refresh the exterior and interior paint, keeping the red and white aesthetic.

The Penny Candy Store will soon be launching a website, so that those out of the area can purchase their favorite, hard-to-find candies and have them shipped to their doors. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates!

Brummett has dedicated herself to continuing the legacy of the Penny Candy Store and says of her new position as the local candy dealer, “I love it!!”

For a taste of Live Oak history, visit the Penny Candy Store at 10221 Live Oak Blvd, Live Oak, or give them a call at (530) 695-1927.