WEST OCEAN CITY – An iconic resort business has expanded with a new location in West Ocean City.
Located along Route 50, Dolle’s Candyland is now offering its famed saltwater taffy, caramel popcorn, fudge, and other gifts and treats at its newest storefront within the Park Place Plaza.
Anna Dolle Bushnell, co-owner of Dolle’s Candyland, said the new West Ocean City location will be the fourth, and largest Dolle’s Candyland store to join the family operation.
The storefront features display cases filled with fudge, fresh caramel popcorn, gummies and more, and shelves lined with packaged saltwater taffy and a collection of unique gifts.
“One of the things that a lot of people don’t understand is that we are true candy makers,” she said. “That is our knowledge. We know how to temper chocolate, we know how to deal with different corn syrups and we know how to deal with sugar. We are not just candy retailers. We are candy manufacturers.”
While most Dolle’s products will continue to be made at its flagship store on Wicomico Street and the Boardwalk, Bushnell said some candy will be manufactured at the West Ocean City location. The new storefront, for example, features a large chocolate machine that patrons can view while in operation.
“We love to show off what we know,” she said. “We are just a little limited by our space at the Boardwalk. We’ve made good use of what we’ve got, but you can’t go in and see everything being made.”
Since 1910, Dolle’s Candyland has manufactured and sold candy out of its flagship location on Wicomico Street and the Boardwalk in Ocean City.
When Bushnell and her brother, Andrew Dolle, took over operations in 2000, they expanded the family business to include a wholesale candy operation and multiple Dolle’s Candyland stores. In 2006, a second location opened on 120th Street and in 2013 a third location opened on 67th Street.
“It seems like every five years we get a new opportunity that we are ready to take on,” she joked.
Bushnell said Dolle’s newest location offers plenty of space for the business to grow. She noted that the storefront could also be used in the off season to host candy-making classes for children and wine and chocolate tastings for adults.
“We thought this would be a great opportunity,” she said.
While the store is new, Bushnell said the passion for candy remains the same.
“We love candy. It’s fun, it’s good and it makes people happy …,” she said. “It’s definitely our passion.”
