My mom and I were recently in Vermont for the third year in a row and we were very much looking forward to it. We got off to a not-so-great start and there were a few bumps during our stay, but the trip wasn’t a complete bust. We still enjoyed ourselves and getting away from home for a few days.
Aside from trying the amazing Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury, we decided this year we would travel from our comfy room in Stowe to see Vermont’s largest candy store – Middlebury Sweets. It was about an hour and a half from where we were staying, but hey… who doesn’t love a large candy store filled with treats you might not be able to find anywhere else?
That store? Not very big.
We traveled all that way for a small, hole-in-the-wall candy store that wasn’t much bigger than a candy store in a mall. Now that I’m thinking about it, it was about the size of the room we stayed in at our resort. Not to mention that it doubled as a U-Haul rental place, so you have to wait for the person to finish with that before they ring you up.
We still got a decent haul of candy and they did have a lot to choose from as far as colors of M&M’s and different flavors of Jelly Belly’s, I just feel that it wasn’t worth going so far out of our way for it. If we had been passing through Middlebury, it would’ve been a different story.
I hate to complain, but due to the fact that we used so much gas and wasted all that time traveling to Vermont’s “largest” candy store just upsets me. I’m not saying it’s not Vermont’s largest candy store – it very well may be – but if they’re going to advertise it as being this great place to visit, please make sure it’s worth the time to go there.
And it wasn’t.
Have you ever been disappointed due to false advertising?
orangeowldiaries 
Hi Tabatha,
I am the owner of Middlebury Sweets. I am sorry that you felt our shop was a “hole in the wall” and you felt underwhelmed. Just a few interesting facts for you. Our shop is 1800 square feet. Much larger then a hotel room or mall candy store! Fact number two, we are the largest candy store based on product variety not necessarily square footage. I have had multiple people who have been to many candy stores, including those in big cities, that have said we had the largest selection of candy they had ever seen. We may not be 5000 square feet, but we pack a punch. Large chain candy stores tend to have large bins full of each candy and lots of quantities of each product to fill those shelves. They also have the funds to go over the top with décor! Something us small business owners don’t have the capital to invest in. Nor is it practical for small town Vermont.
I beg to differ with you. We in no way did any false advertising on our brochure. Everything we state on our brochure is indeed fact! We don’t claim to be the biggest candy store in the US, but in Vermont! So I’m not sure what you expected. There were pictures of our shop on our website. The pictures show exactly what our shop looked like. Perhaps more research would have been in order before traveling so far.
And yes, my husband was probably the only one working the day you showed up. We are real people who need to make a living just like anyone else. So we do own multiple business. I have two small kids and I was probably home with one of them because they were sick or picking them up from school. Most people are understanding and patient. You must have just come during one of these rare times when he was by himself. I apologize that you had to wait, we do the best we can to run a business with good customer service and try to give people a good experience. Most people are happy with our business I am proud to say. But I can’t please everyone, I can only try.
Thank you.
Blanca Jenne, Owner
Middlebury Sweets