Candy Industry Publisher Doug Peckenpaugh was able to catch up with Tim Strickland, co-owner, River Street Sweets, at its Savannah location on June 23. The company celebrated National Pralines Day on June 24.

This year’s celebration was 50 years in the making, as the Savannah family-owned business celebrated a half-century of butter, sugar, cream, and community service.

River Street Sweets initially started as a fudge store, in 1973, but later started making its “World Famous Pralines,” hand-dipped onto a piece of marble that Strickland’s father, Stan, bought from a gravestone company. Today, its pralines generate more than $30 million in annual sales.

The oldest candy store in Savannah, River Street Sweets is still operated by Tim and his older sister, Jennifer—and just down the street, Stan “The Candy Man” Strickland, their father, operates Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, the largest candy store in the South since 1990.

Including the original River Street location, River Street Sweets has two other Savannah locations, plus stores in Charleston and Myrtle Beach. In 2014, it began to franchise under the merged name “River Street Sweets • Savannah's Candy Kitchen,” and its first franchise opened in Pooler, GA at the Tanger Outlet Mall in 2015. The current franchise locations include Key West, FL; Lancaster, PA; Greenville, SC; The Battery in Atlanta, GA (2020); plus Asbury Park, NJ and Sunset Walk, Orlando, Florida.