Yes, I could actually smell it when I walked through the door. All the neighborhood stores had the same sweet inviting aroma of chewy goodness and chocolatey bliss. It was a sweet mixture that greeted me as I stepped inside and the little bell jingled behind me.
Hardly a day went by when I wasn't passing by the corner store, stopping in, or dreaming of it. Delicacies like Bazooka bubble gum, Tootsie Pops, Smarties, Mexican Hats, Tootsie Rolls, Licorice Pipes and red licorice whips only cost a penny. Even those wonderful chewy "Kits" taffys cost a penny; some items like candy necklaces were three cents as were Necco Wafers until they eventually rose to a nickel.
There was such a wide variety to choose from it made it difficult to choose at times. I usually had my favorites that I always relied on, but my general rule of thumb was: the more chewy, the longer lasting. Storekeepers, I'm sure, grew bored at watching me trying to decide on what to spend my eleven or twelve cents on.
I can recall on chilly fall mornings, my friends and I used to stop by the corner store to load up on red and black licorice whips, Tootsie Rolls and big grape gumballs. Those grape gumballs were the best, and I can still taste them to this day!
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