Members of the Canelake's Candies family run a shop in Knife River, where the artist-designed "Bear Trail" is an added attraction along with the sweet treats.
But itâs been an extra sweet week at Canelakeâs Candies.
The iconic candy shop, in operation since 1905, has something new to add to its long history. Canelakeâs, on Tuesday, opened an expansion into the adjacent building, broadening its selection of merchandise and preserving its history â and that of the Virginia area â for generations to come.
The Canelake family spent more than a year renovating 416 Chestnut St., to increase retail space and establish a candy (and Iron Range) museum, said co-owner Pamela Canelake Matson.
Walls are adored with enlarged photographs depicting the shopâs transformations through the decades: An image of the 1900sâ storefront, complete with wooden sidewalks and bananas displayed in the window; second-generation candy makers, brothers John and Leo Canelake, posing in front of the shop in the 1960s; longtime candy dipper, Liona Forst, dipping chocolates at a table now used as a display in the expansion.