Coons Candy

We try to stop at Coon’s every time we pass by — it’s a great little candy and gift shop just south of Upper Sandusky. They advertise «300 Kinds» of candy, and I believe it!
How they get you — a free sample of their English toffee as you walk in the door. It is soooo good and makes your mouth water for more treats. Their homemade candy, bulk candy, retro candy, fudge, chocolate or white chocolate covered anything — they have it. Honey, jellies, popcorn, maple syrup, too. We’re BIG fans of their maple popcorn — tastes like pancakes.
If you don’t have the sweet tooth, half of the shop is non-​food items, like yard decorations, OSU items, toys, candles, household décor, flags, etc. Kitsch central, and a great way to break up the monotony of the highway drive.

We stopped at Coon’s on the way home from Hocking Hills. Everyone was really excited to grab some great candy and snacks! Unfortunately, our expectations outweighed what Coon’s Candy offered. Most of our bulk candy/​snack were stale, and for being an Ohio business, the Buckeyes were not all that great. Their «dark chocolate» tasted like an odd mix of cocoa powder, sugar, and cough syrup. And the prices were extremely high… each small bag of chocolate was at least $ 6 – 7 each, even though all the bags were different weights. I personally don’t think chocolate covered marshmallows (which were just regular round, store bought marshmallows), should be the same price as other chocolates like turtles or jellies. The fudge looked ok… but we get local mackinaw fudge in our area, so I didn’t even try it. Bulk taffy was fresh, and you could bag your favorite flavors. Giant pecan turtle was really good too.
Another problem we had that day, was with the service. The employees didn’t seem all that friendly, or very interested in being helpful. I asked a few questions and got a few very short answers. I also asked if I could sample a candy, and while they did let me, a bit of attitude lingered in the response. I don’t think asking for a single sample should be a problem, especially when the customer asking has at least $ 30 worth of candy in hand already. (Not to mention the other people purchasing in the entire party.) I am glad I tried the cherry cream as a sample though… overly sweet, and barely a hint of cherry flavor.
All in all, it’s a pretty typical candy store. Nothing special and probably wouldn’t stop again. I can get better, fresher candy from a local bulk food store. (And for much cheaper!)

The place is a landmark and although I’ve only stopped twice, I’ve driven by at least 100 times going to/​from Toledo/​Columbus. Nice folks. Home made candies. Lots of Cracker-​Barrel-​esque countryware. Not particularly my style, but memorable as a nice diversion on the most boring drive I can imagine.

Well I’ve never been here but we were shipped a box of their English Toffee Fudge.
I don’t really know how to describe this candy… heaven? mouth orgasam? devilsh?
Maybe all of the above?
I do know that after eating it I could feel a cavity I didn’t know I had before.

I’ve seen the sign for Coon’s Candies for over 10 years along Route 23, when I used to drive back and forth almost every weekend to and from college in Toledo, and always meant to stop but never managed to make the time for it. After my visit there recently, my waistline was glad I had never been there before but the rest of my body was kicking myself the rest of the way home.
First of all, they make the majority of the candy they sell. This includes all of the myriad of amazing fudge flavor options. Not being able to choose just one flavor, I did the logical thing and chose… four. While they were all top notch, the raspberry cheesecake and the Heath bar ones were my personal favorites.
In addition to the myriad of types of candy lining the shelves, there were all kinds of country-​style wares all over the place that could be used as decorations for your home. It was unexpected, but gave the place a feel as something more than just a sugar-​pushing #1 enemy of your local dentist.
For as out of the way as this place is, I was pleasantly surprised that they also took credit cards. It seems like when you go to places off the beaten path, it can be a crapshoot as to if you can use your favorite piece of plastic or not. This definitely brought me to spend more than I originally had planned, but my sweet tooth certainly wasn’t complaining.
I’ve started making Coon’s a standard stop along my many trips up and down Route 23, and definitely recommend that others do the same.
Edited to fix typos.