A longtime local candy business is closing its doors.
Henry’s Candy Co. in Dexter announced Friday on its Facebook page it will close at the end of May.
The business has for decades been a regional destination for candy aficionados — especially when the business made much of its candy in-house and customers could watch the process in real-time.
Robyn Evinger took over the business for her mother, Evelyn Pudden, who passed away in 2020.
“I have made a very hard decision to close the store down by May 31st,” the Facebook post said. “I am no longer able to do it on my own anymore, after losing my mom and sister it has never been the same.
“We all gave our lives to keeping it open, and I spent all my life in it as far back as I can remember and really never was able to have a life outside of the store until now.”
Eveinger said she is getting married soon and is shifting her focus, but thanked the generations of customers that have visited Henry’s.
“I want to say how very much I appreciate my loyal customers and that is what I will miss most,” she said. “Without you, we would have been out of business years ago. I will try and keep you updated if the situation changes coming up! Thanks for all the years in business!”
Cowley County Economic Development Director Jessica Falk told Cowley Post Friday afternoon she hopes there’s a way for Henry’s to remain open and that her department would reach out to the business.
Henry’s Candy Company was founded in Dexter in 1956, according to a profile of the business via kansastravel.org:
“Operated by the same family for over 60 years, it was founded by Patrick Henry, the son of Tom Henry, who had the Peerless candy factory in Arkansas City, Kansas.
The store moved from downtown Dexter to its current location in 1975.
Henry family lore (repeated many places) is that he was the creator of the ‘Oh Henry Bar.’ There are multiple stories about the creation and naming of the early candy bar and you can choose whichever you like.
Over half of the building is candy factory and the walls of the factory store have large windows through which customers can watch candy being made. More than 100 different types of candy are manufactured in the store, some of them using equipment from Tom Henry’s store.
Henry’s Candy Co. can’t use the trade name Oh Henry but the store makes what it calls the original version of the nearly one hundred year old candy bar, which they market as the ‘Mama Henry.’ The Mama Henry Bars are handmade in batches of about 400 and the process takes overnight. Fudge is dipped in caramel, rolled in nuts and covered with chocolate.”
In 1991, KAKE TV did a profile on the Henry’s.
Pudden told KAKE her grandfather Tom worked for a candy maker in Boston, Massachusetts as a child.
