5 Display Tools for Old-Fashioned Candy Stores

If you’re thinking of opening an old-fashioned candy store, or you already manage an old-fashioned candy store but need some help giving your business a makeover, some of the first things you should think about are the kinds of display containers and fixtures you should use for your candy displays.

Below are five ideal display tools for old-fashioned candy stores to help you pick the tools that will work best for your store!

1. Wholesale Glass Jars and Glass Fish Bowls

Wholesale glass jars and glass fish bowls are the epitome of old-fashioned candy store displays. You can find these glass containers in a variety of sizes and styles, as well as with lids for keeping unwrapped candies wrapped and safe from dust and debris.

While wholesale glass jars and glass fish bowls are perfect for displaying candy in old-fashioned candy stores, broken glass is extremely dangerous so you’ll want to make sure you use them in low-traffic areas of your store or, at the very least, positioned on sturdy display racks.

2. Fixed and Rotating Countertop Racks and Floor Display Racks

If you manage a candy store, chances are not all of your displays are on countertops. This means you’ll other kinds of display tools (besides the glass jars and fish bowls) to hold your candy.

Fixed display racks designed for floors and countertops are ideal for displaying glass containers of candy. At the same time, rotating display racks are great for bags or boxes of candy you can hang from begs or stack on shelves.

3. Wooden Baskets and Wooden Display Racks

Wooden baskets and wooden display racks exude old-fashioned charm and are excellent alternatives for store owners who don’t want to use wire display racks like those found in convenience stores.

You can find wooden displays designed for countertop displays and floor displays, but because the wooden baskets generally don’t come with lids, these display tools are best suited for wrapped bulk candies like Atomic Fireballs, individual pieces of bubble gum, and gourmet chocolates.

4. Gumball Machines

Gumball machines are classic display tools for candy stores. You can find gumball machines with one head or numerous heads and in a variety of different styles. Choose classic styles with round or square heads or fun styles shaped like rocket ships or designed with clear stands to allow your customers to watch their gumballs traveling down to meet them!

Gumball machines are also quite versatile. You can find machines designed for countertop displays, or you can find them positioned on stands and ready for you to move anywhere in your candy store.

5. Dry Food Dispensers

Some unwrapped bulk candies – like Skittles, M&Ms, Runts, Mike & Ike, Good & Plenty, and Jelly Belly’s jelly beans – work well in more than just wholesale glass jars with lids. Because these candies are unwrapped, you can keep them fresh and safe from contamination when you store and display them in dry food dispensers.

You can find dry food dispensers designed to mount on your store’s wall or countertop, and they allow customers to select the amount of candies they want while keeping the rest secured inside.

Choosing Acrylic Candy Dispensers for Your Store

Any kind of store or restaurant that sells candy needs acrylic candy dispensers to organize and display the candy, as well as keep it clean and safe from the elements. Because there are numerous kinds of containers for these purposes, the selection process might feel overwhelming.

Below are five of the most common kinds of candy dispensers available. Scan through them and select the kind most suited for both your merchandise and the amount of space you have to work with within your establishment.

1. Standard Plastic Containers

Standard candy dispensers are those containers that generally stand alone along counter tops like those you see in convenience stores. They are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and depending on the kind of candy you’re selling you can choose plastic containers with lids, handgrips, or both.

Racks, like those you see used in convenience store displays, are available for these standard containers. You can find large floor racks or smaller racks ideal for counter tops. Of course, you don’t have to attach your containers to racks; you can also create your own display by positioning in a way that is most convenient and attractive atop your counter top.

2. Bins with Scoops

Bins with scoops are ideal dispensers if you sell a large quantity of candy. You can also find bins with scoop holders so the scoops stay separated from the candy while they’re not in use.

You can find these kinds of bins in a variety of sizes, so depending on the space you have to work with you might want to select small bins for counter top displays or large bins if you have a sizeable aisle set aside for them.

3. Mounted Dry Food Dispensers

You might think dry food dispensers only apply to food items like dry cereals and coffee, but you can use these dispensers for an assortment of small candies. By using dispensers you can mount on the wall, you save space in your store and offer your customers convenience. They can easily scan the available candies and select which ones they want. Most mounted dispensers allow customers to access the candy through retention knobs that eliminate the need for scoops and help keep the candy protected.

4. Dispensers with Drawers

Dispensers with drawers are great for counter top displays. You can use these dispensers by themselves, or you can find them in bulks of four, six, and even twelve. Because of this, these acrylic candy dispensers can fit any counter top size and offer a wide range of display possibilities. Plus, keeping the candy inside a drawer helps keep in clean and sanitary.

5. Turntable Dispensers

Turntable dispensers are composed of plastic tubes of various heights and colors that make for attractive display possibilities. These tubes can hold an assortment of small candies and offer convenience for customers because they can easily turn the dispensers to access the candy they want. Turntable dispensers are generally small enough for counter top displays.

Using Acrylic Dry Food Dispensers In Your Store

As a store or restaurant owner, you’re probably of one of two minds:

1. I know I need acrylic dry food dispensers. My store (or restaurant) sells dry foods, and these dispensers help me store and display them. They also help my customers easily access the food.
2. I don’t know if I need acrylic dry food dispensers. I don’t sell anything like cereal, so, do I really need these kinds of containers?

Dry food containers come in a variety of styles and offer much versatility, and the fact is most stores and restaurants – like the ones listed below – can make use of dry food containers.

Hotels and Resorts

Most hotels and resorts offer at least continental breakfasts to their customers. Plastic dry food containers work perfectly to hold and display breakfast items like cereals. Dispensers designed to hang from the wall and allow customers to access the food through retention knobs are generally the best containers for foods like cereal, but other containers – like those with wide openings to allow room for scoops or tongs – work well for foods like bagels, donuts, and muffins.

Those hotels and resorts that offer a full range of dining options can also use these dispensers to hold and display lunch and dinner foods like rolls, sandwich meats and toppings, and dessert items like cakes, brownies, cupcakes, and fudge.

Cafeterias

Cafeterias like those you find in schools and institution settings can certainly use acrylic dry food containers. Like hotels and resorts, cafeterias can choose dispensers designed to mount to the wall for their cereals, or open containers with lids for their breads, fruits, and sandwich toppings. Even the commercial kitchens behind the scenes of the actual cafeterias can use these dispensers to organize and store food items.

Specialty Shops

There are a variety of uses for dry food dispensers in specialty shops. Yogurt and ice cream shops can use these containers as topping dispensers. They will organize and keep separated the different kinds of toppings, as well as allow customers a clear view and easy access to the toppings they want.

Bagel shops, bakeries, and delis can also use acrylic food dispensers to hold the different kinds of food items they offer. Bagel shops can use them to separate the raisin bagels from the chocolate chip bagels, just as bakeries can use them to keep the brownies with nuts separated from the brownies without nuts. Delis that allow customers to add their own sandwich toppings might use these containers to hold items like lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.

Grocery Stores

Many grocery stores have aisles dedicated to dry goods that customers can select, measure, and bag themselves. These dry food range from candies to peanuts to coffees.

You might choose dispensers designed with openings so the customers can scoop the food out themselves, or you might want dispensers with retention knobs that customers can twist until they obtain the amount of food they want. Regardless of the kind of dispensers you choose, it’s important to select dispensers made of clear acrylic so customers can easily view the food items.