too bad Laura Secord is no longer there...
You'll note how prominently Laura Secord shows in many of the "then" pics. I was going to ask if they're still in business until reading the following:
It was a nice location while it lasted. The salesladies - wore uniforms and the place was clean, cool and hushed inside. The present Laura Secord location in that neighbourhood is a skip across the street in the Yonge Eglinton centre. It's an old school candy shopping experience still.
They got a lot of corporate business from me when I was in the workforce. Every Christmas I would go there to buy chocolates for my clients.
In the United States, 'See's Candies' offers a similar look, feel and product experience..
It's odd how some flashes of memory back in an otherwise dreadfully boring and painful high school experience remain. There were some gems, some of the teachers were excellent, and didn't mistake disinterest for low intelligence, and one memory was a history lesson where Laura Secord was discussed. Went something like: "And the Americans hated her so much that the chain is named 'Fannie Farmer' in the US". lol...that may have been an embellishment, but it was based loosely on fact:
Timeline - Laura Secord
https://www.laurasecord.ca/en/pages/timeline
In 1999, Archibald Candy Corporation of Chicago purchased
Laura Secord from Nestlé. As a result,
Laura Secord joined a large family of specialty retail banners in North America that included Fannie May,
Fanny Farmer, and Sweet Factory.
Historicist: A Box of Laura Secord - Torontoist
https://torontoist.com/2013/04/historicist-a-box-of-laura-secord/
Apr 13, 2013 - Since the name “
Laura Secord” had little resonance for most Americans, O'Connor named the stores after cookbook author
Fannie Farmer, though the spelling was changed to “
Fanny Farmer” when the first shop opened in 1919. Candy made O'Connor a millionaire. Beginning in March 1928, he purchased ...
And how incestuous is this? (With an eventual family split added as a note at end)
Utah-based candymaker to acquire Fannie May - tribunedigital ...
articles.chicagotribune.com/...01.../0401150268_1_fannie-alpine-confections-archiba...
Jan 15, 2004 - Although
Fannie May and Fanny Farmer brands may have found a new home, the future of the stores is up in the air. Industry officials say Archibald has been talking to Russell Stover Candies in Kansas City, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and
See's Candies Inc., which is owned by Omaha-based ...
Note: "Ross said the proposed sale of the Fannie May and Fanny Farmer brands does not include the Laura Secord division, a Canadian premium candy that Archibald acquired in 1999."
Sweet...