January window

At the beginning of every month, I love coming to the store to see what magic Joan and Marilyn have created for this month's window. They come up with great ideas each month and unearth from their secret stashes the wonderful goodies for the display.

This month Joan is sharing her Bunte candies collection. The Bunte Candy Company was based in Chicago, Illinois and did business under the Bunte name until bought out by another company about 30 years ago. As a little girl growing up in Joliet, Illinois, which is about 30 miles from Chicago, Joan enjoyed these sweet treats. Her favorites were Dianas, a hard candy with a soft center. Little did she know that she would grow up and become a Bunte.

Joan's branch of the Buntes was not related to the owners of the candy company but that has not dampened her enthusiasm for collecting the memorabilia. She started collecting Bunte pieces in the late 1960's. What is displayed in the window is about a 10th of her collection. Her favorite piece that is displayed in this month's window is an original Bunte toy truck from the 1930's. The toy was produced as an advertisement that children could play with and cost 69 cents. I suspect that 40 years later, it has increased in value. Joan's other favorites are two large advertisements that she has had framed and displays in her home. There is a Christmas ad featuring Santa Claus and another Mother's Day ad, encouraging families to treat their beloved mothers to Bunte candy.

An unexpected addition to Joan's collection was found here at a Hallmark Store in Claremont, some 25 years ago. There Joan found a puzzle of a Bunte Candy box.

I hope you will stop by and look at this treasured collection.

Play It Forward,

Michele