Iowa has the Oldest Ongoing Confectionery Ice Cream Parlor in the World

Mmmmm, sweets. I love a good dessert. What about you? Yes, the food is good, but oh, boy, dessert can be the best part of a meal. The sad part about dessert is that sometimes people don't have room for it! How could you not have room for dessert?  Maybe the selection is underwhelming and that is sad in itself.

I know, it's very sad, thinking about the desserts that weren't devoured but please don't shed a tear just yet. Let's not worry about desserts that have passed us by.  Let us look toward sweeter waters and the deliciousness that could be, oh yes!

When we think about the world, it's a big place.  Ok, not as big as Saturn but there aren't delicious treats there.  That is unless you know something we don't and you've been holding out on us.  Do you know of some delicious treat factory on Saturn and you're not telling? That's not very sweet or sportsman-like.

Snuggled in a little section of Wilton, Iowa is the purveyor of the sweetest treats and they've been doing it for a long time.  Like a really long time.  So long they've become the oldest ongoing confectionary

They've Hit the Big Time

Wilton's Candy Kitchen is on the National Register of Historic Places. There are over roughly 90,000, places on the National Register of Historic Places, and for eligibility look here.  It's the kind of place that perfectly represents a big trend or theme in the country's story.

The Wilton Candy Kitchen History Goes Like This

Back in 1909, Gus Nopoulos and his buddy Nick Parris visited Wilton, Iowa, and found a closed candy shop with all its old fixtures still inside. I think that's referred to as a turn key operation, right?  They could move right in without much fixing up.

Gus, who only knew “thank you” in English, decided to take a chance and open The Candy Kitchen in 1910. His big opening day? A whopping $17 in sales, with rent at $8 a month!

Gus’s wife, Frankie, jumped in to help, and soon their sons, Leo and George, were part of the action too. The Candy Kitchen weathered the Great Depression and even WWII (though the boys were away serving). After the war, George bought the business, married Thelma (who had worked there since she was 10), and the couple ran the place for 66 years.

Get our free mobile app

Today, The Candy Kitchen is still going strong, now owned by Lynn and Brenda Ochiltree. Visitors can check out the original marble soda fountain, and the 1913 tin ceiling, and indulge in sweets just like the generations before.

They would also like you to swing by the Candy Kitchen Museum for a little local history, too. They claim "It’s still the sweetest spot in town!"