RED LODGE — There’s candy as far as the eye can see at the Montana Candy Emporium in Red Lodge. However, you’ll find something else here that you won’t find at any other candy shop and that’s a peek into the past.
Red Lodge native Mike Majerus has had a lot of jobs around the state but nothing has been as sweet as his current position. He’s the owner and proprietor of the Montana Candy Emporium.
“My dad told me that one time, he said you know if you do something you really like, you’ll never work and it really is true,” said Majerus on Wednesday.
A staple in Red Lodge for the past 32 years, the Montana Candy Emporium isn’t like any other candy shop you’ve visited. It’s almost like a museum and it all started when Majerus was just a kid.
“I went to the dump here in town and I found a 1922 license place and it just really intrigued me and that started the whole thing,” Majerus said.
The shop is filled to the brim with old-timey posters, signage, even a vintage motorcycle, and parts of an old Yellowstone Park firetruck.
“I spent a long time on the fire department here and so you know, I’ve got a personal history there too,” said Majerus.
Stepping into the shop is like stepping into Majerus’s garage, except there’s a ton of candy.
“There’s so much,” said 10-year-old Billings resident, Natalee Browning.
And it’s candy that you can’t find anywhere else.
“The nostalgic candies have been a great thing too. We love the blackjack gum, teaberry,” Majerus said.
Majerus sells everything from candy cigarettes to Slo Pokes and Coconut Long Boys.
“Dads, moms, grandmas and grandpas, great grandmas, great grandpas that remember the stuff that you can’t anymore,” said Majerus.
For folks like Jorge Delosantos, who’s visiting from Denver, it’s a sight to see and taste.
“It’s amazing, the history of it. I’d like to know all the stuff about the store and the homemade candy,” said Delosantos.
There are bins and bins of homemade candy of all sorts of flavors and they make their fudge in-house.
“We don’t want to carry stuff that you find in the grocery store. We like stuff that’s a little unique and fun,” Majerus said.
In true Montana style, the most popular products are anything huckleberry flavored whether it’s taffy or sour balls.
“Huckleberry barrels, huckleberries, and cream barrels. Those because it is a unique product that we have made for us that you can’t everywhere and of course, it’s a unique Montana product,” said Majerus.
If you’re ever in Red Lodge, the most famous candy shop in the state is a must-see.
