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IHHS19.Mar2

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Kitchenware News & Housewares Review Show Daily 4 9 Saturday, March 2, 2019 Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop Caters to Sweet Teeth By Robin Mather A floor inlaid with pennies in the ice cream parlor at Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop's flagship store in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, might be the best metaphor for owner Christopher J. Beers's success. The floor was a wacky idea that came to Beers out of the blue. It took a fair amount of planning, but some serendipity came into play, too. It cost more than he expected – more than $1,000, "or $2.14 a square foot," Beers points out. It was much more work to fin- ish than he thought it would be, and his trusted employees helped with the work. And yet the floor, with its giant ice cream cone motif made of shiny new pennies just inside the door, and its care- fully designed border of darker, older pennies, is a stunning success. Customers remark on it the minute they enter the ice cream parlor, one of three side-by-side storefronts in the Strip that Grandpa Joe's occupies. Beers opened the store in the Strip, Pittsburgh's functioning warehouse dis- trict and a popular tourist destination because of its ethnic grocers and restau- rants, in 2012. "I chose this neighbor- hood because the area was missing a candy shop," the 39-year-old Beers says. Back then, the store occupied only one storefront. But as years passed, and neighbors retired or went out of business, the store expanded to occupy three store- fronts at 2124 Penn Avenue, the Strip's main drag. With two floors, the store stocks 265 kinds of soda from around the country, and more than 750 candy bar brands, for wholesale and retail sales. The upstairs is devoted to bulk candy packaging, but the downstairs, with its floor-to-ceiling displays and its creaky wooden floors, is a maze of candy, toys and novelties, including a bacon-scented stick-on mustache, squirrel underwear and other oddities. A big part of Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop's role in the community is generos- ity, Beers says. "We say yes to every donation request," he says. "We take part in community events and festivals, too." He notes that the company's Dilly Pickle Cotton Candy was such a hit at the end of a community charitable run that the company ran out on the first day. Beers says he uses social media, like Facebook, to promote Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, just as many business own- ers do. But he also looks at the photos that his competitors post. Perhaps they have brands that he should be carrying, he says. On Instagram, he searches by geo- graphic location near his stores to see what consumers are saying. When he's considering a new location, those cus- tomers' Instagram accounts can help him understand what they might want. In fact, "staying alert and fluid" is part of his business strategy by design, he says. "We never carried fidget spinners because I totally missed that," he says. "But the guy across the street (from the Strip District store) made a lot of money with them." Instant Brands, Inc. Awards Instant Pot License to Lifetime Brands Inc. Lifetime Brands, Inc. has entered into a licensing agreement with Instant Brands, Inc., the makers of Instant Pot ® , under which Lifetime Brands will create and distribute official Instant Pot-branded accessories specifically designed with the Instant Pot cook in mind. The license includes bakeware, prep accessories and cutting boards. Instant Pot pressure cookers have quickly become a must-have for busy families and home chefs. These high-tech appliances combine pressure cooking, sautéing, slow cooking, sous vide, rice cooking, yogurt making, steaming and other common cooking functions into one appliance. According to market research firm NPD, Instant Pot is America's number-one cooker brand. Lifetime Brands is developing 15 to 20 products customized to be used with and within an Instant Pot cooker. "We are thrilled to partner with Instant Brands on accessories for Instant Pot," said Dan Siegel, President, Lifetime Brands, Inc. "This collaboration allows retailers to capitalize on the excitement around this revolutionary product and broaden their Instant Pot assortment. Consumers have fully embraced this cooker, and we are excited to give them a cohesive collection of branded acces- sories to create even more healthy foods at home with their favorite appliance." "Our users are our top priority and we remain committed to providing solu- tions to help make life a little easier. The new accessories from Lifetime Brands will make Instant Pot cookers even more useful and easier to use," says Robert J. Wang, Chief Executive Officer, Instant Brands, Inc. Krasdale Foods Promotes Steve Silver to President Krasdale Foods, a 110-year-old, private- ly-owned company providing many essential services to supermarket opera- tors, including grocery distribution, mer- chandising, and marketing, has elevated Steve Silver to the role of President as part of the company's succession plan. Silver has been with Krasdale 37 years and, in addition to his new role, will continue to serve as Chief Operating Officer and as a member of the board of directors. Over the years, he has played a major role in expanding Krasdale into the largest grocery distributor in New York City while also building out its vertically integrated structure. "Steve is such an important part of our company's success," said Charles Krasne, who will continue on in his role as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of Krasdale Foods. "He is deeply involved in all aspects of the busi- ness and has earned the respect of our employees, customers and partners. I know he is eager to continue to drive future growth for the company." Krasdale has grown from a New York-centric brand to a multi-state gro- cery servicer and supplier, providing per- sonalized counseling, and business and marketing support to multiple genera- tions of entrepreneurs. With its headquar- ters in White Plains, New York, and dis- tribution center in the Bronx, Krasdale services more than 300 independent supermarkets with many of them operat- ing under the C-Town and Bravo banners in the Northeast and Florida, along with hundreds of smaller markets that are located in the New York area. A fully integrated grocery servicer and supplier, Krasdale is comprised of several affiliat- ed companies including Alpha 1 Marketing, Beta II Marketing, Consolidated Supermarket Supply and KoolTemp Foods.

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