An employee at the Taffy Shop in Estes Park poses for a photo on the front porch.
DENVER (KDVR) — It started out as a typical day for employees at an Estes Park taffy shop, but it quickly turned into a frenzy when the results of USA Today’s “Best Candy Store” were announced and the little shop was named the best in the country.
While the title doesn’t come with an actual prize, it does provide some bragging rights. Taffy Shop owner Mark Igel said the voting and competition process showed how beloved the historic store is by customers across the country.
“It’s been great over the last week and a half to have customers come in and ask, ‘Did we win yet?’ and I think they all answered, ‘Yes, we did.’ It’s heartwarming to see the pride our customers and friends of the store have in the history of this store,” Igel told FOX31 on Thursday.
Opened in 1935, the 117-square-foot shop has been making 20 pounds of saltwater taffy using the same recipe for 89 years. The shop won out over nine other beloved candy stores across the country through popular votes and readers’ votes.
Igel said no one in the store was aware the news had been announced when it was released, and it wasn’t until another store owner stopped by around 9:55 a.m. that the team realized they needed to look into the results.
“So all of us in our 50s were trying to find the right page and refresh our phones, and the page wouldn’t load,” Igel recalled. “Then our daughter, who was cooking and is younger than all of us, pops out at about 10:30 a.m. with her phone in her hand and says, ‘We did it!’ And that’s when we found out.”
Even with their new national title, Igel said business remains business as usual, making taffy and greeting customers behind the counter.
“I didn’t even realize until the end of the day how many comments and likes and emails and texts I got,” he said in an email. “Wow! I’m overwhelmed by the support from all over the country. This is an award that is shared with the Taffy Shop family, including all current and past customers and employees. But it’s also a win for Estes Park because the Taffy Shop is part of this community’s history and a place where people can stop by for special gifts and everyday enjoyment.”
The Estes Park Taffy Shoppe has been in business for 89 years, and Igel said he expects it will continue to be business as usual.
To celebrate and commemorate the title, Igel said he is inviting Taffy Shop employees, friends, customers and former employees to take part in a group photo.
On Saturday, June 29, at 5 p.m., a photographer will be capturing the facade of The Taffy Shop from across the street, along with everyone involved in The Taffy Shop’s history. Anyone who would like to be in the photo should be in front of the store at 121 W. Elkhorn Ave. at 5 p.m. and look across the street.
