the peanut shoppe

Staff was very friendly and helpful, offered samples of anything we wanted to try. Large selection of candy and nuts, including some oddities (dried green beans, anyone?). Prices were acceptable. But the place is grimy to filthy. The thickness of the dust that had collected on the things on the wall turned my stomach. Also, mixed reviews on our purchases. Malted milk balls and honey roasted nuts got two thumbs up from everyone; the chocolate covered toffee got two thumbs down.

We arrived serendipitously to this little gem of a shop just after closing, but the gracious owner let us in anyway. She gave us a brief history of the shop and some of its historical (and hysterical) contents. We were also treated to several samples before we purchased a couple bags of flavored nuts. They also carry a nice array of candy and chocolates.

If you are ever close to downtown Akron, you owe it to yourself to stop by The Peanut Shoppe. Located across the street from the historic Civic Theatre and the modern baseball stadium, Canal Park home of the AA minor league team, The Rubber Ducks, this place is a treasure trove of old time candies, fresh nuts of all types, just popped popcorn, chocolates and memorabilia going back the the shop's origin in the 1930's.My favorites are the freshly roasted cashews. They come in different sizes from bits and pieces to halves to whole nuts, medium and large. Another good one are the "red" peanuts - those with the skins still on them. If you love pistachios, you'll love this shop. On the candy side there are a large assortment of taffies, chocolates in every variety, and my favorites Bit-O-Honey and Peanut Bars. Anyone who grew up in the 50's and 60's will find their old favorite nostalgia treats here. Another excellent choice is the caramel popcorn .Everything is inexpensive and you can buy just the quantity to satisfy you. They still use the old fashion scales to weight your order. The ladies behind the counter are friendly hostesses who have been with the store for decades. Lots of parking in metered spaces (25 cents for 15 minutes). I often load up with yummies here on my way to the airport so I can snack on my flight. Also The Peanut Shoppe is a great place to get treats for those long road trips.