By 1808Delaware
Downtown Delaware is getting a little sweeter.
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, a Pittsburgh-based chain known for its old-school candy counters, colorful displays, and wall-to-wall selection of bottled sodas, is preparing to open a new location at 17 N. Sandusky St. in the city’s historic commercial core.
A firm public opening date has not yet been announced, but the Delaware storefront is already being promoted as one of the company’s newest Ohio additions. When it opens, the shop will bring a familiar Grandpa Joe’s formula to the heart of downtown: hundreds of candies, shelves of glass-bottled soda, and the chain’s signature $5 candy buffet.
Candy, Soda, And A Bit Of Nostalgia
Grandpa Joe’s is built around the kind of retail experience that invites browsing, as the chain is known for carrying more than 250 kinds of packaged candy, more than 100 bulk candies, and roughly 350 varieties of glass-bottled sodas. Stores also typically offer popcorn, milkshakes, floats, and ice cream-style treats, creating the feel of a candy shop, soda stop, and nostalgia trip in one place. Its best-known feature may be the “world famous” $5 candy buffet. Customers fill a box with assorted candy, and if the lid closes, the price is $5.
That simple idea has helped make Grandpa Joe’s more than a quick-stop candy store. In other communities, the shops have become family destinations, drawing children, parents, grandparents, visitors, and downtown regulars into a shared, high-color retail experience.
A Downtown Fit
The company has expanded into a number of Ohio communities, including Mansfield, Springfield, Miamisburg, Troy, Chillicothe, Middletown, and Cuyahoga Falls. Many of those locations sit in walkable downtowns where specialty retail depends not only on what is sold, but on the experience of visiting.
That makes the Delaware location notable. A store like Grandpa Joe’s does not simply fill a storefront. It gives people another reason to park, walk, linger, browse, and perhaps stop at other nearby businesses before heading home. In a downtown already shaped by restaurants, local shops, historic buildings, offices, and civic life, that kind of family-friendly draw can add another layer to the district’s appeal.
A Main Street Magnet
Grandpa Joe’s has often been framed in other cities as a downtown destination rather than a conventional retail tenant. That distinction matters. Destination retailers create foot traffic by giving people a reason to come downtown even when they are not running an errand. They work especially well when they are easy to understand, visually engaging, and appealing across generations.
Candy does that naturally. A child may come for the buffet. A parent may come for the novelty. A grandparent may come for a remembered brand or flavor from decades ago. A soda enthusiast may come for the rows of glass bottles. Together, they become exactly the kind of mixed-age customer base that downtowns need. That intergenerational appeal also helps balance the rhythm of a downtown business district. Grandpa Joe’s is not aimed only at office workers, evening diners, or weekend shoppers. It has the potential to reach all of them.
Another Signal Of Downtown Momentum
Multi-location specialty retailers tend to look for places with enough existing activity to support browsing, foot traffic, and repeat visits. By choosing a storefront on North Sandusky Street, Grandpa Joe’s is placing downtown Delaware among the growing list of communities where the company sees opportunity.
For local merchants, that can be good news. In other cities, Grandpa Joe’s has emphasized participation in downtown events, collaboration with nearby businesses, and support for Main Street activity. If that pattern continues in Delaware, the shop could become part of a larger ecosystem of promotions, seasonal events, and shared customer traffic.
Something Sweet On The Way
For now, Delaware residents will have to wait a little longer for an opening date. But the shape of what is coming is clear: a bright, nostalgic, family-oriented shop in one of downtown Delaware’s most visible corridors.
At 17 N. Sandusky St., Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop is preparing to add candy, color, craft soda, and a little old-fashioned fun to the city’s core. For a downtown built on walkability, history, and local experience, that is a pretty natural fit.
