Local Entrepreneur, Linda Barton of Sweet Memories Vintage Tees announces the grand opening of their unique candy store with a cause on February 10th, 2023 at 2pm.
The opening will feature a check presentation for Akron Children’s Hospital NICU, ice cream sponsored by Isaly’s & Good Humor, and a Regional Chamber Ribbon Cutting ceremony.
What started as one phone call back in 2020 to get licensing for Good Humor Ice Cream to celebrate their 100 year anniversary with an apparel line, has grown into a Vintage Candy Store Explosion & Experience.
Barton states “Three years since the launch of Sweet Memories, and it's been non-stop expansion.” We’ve become the largest manufacturer of licensed candy apparel in Ohio.
Through her outreach of wholesaling her apparel brands to candy stores nationally, she felt inspired to open a unique retail space of her own in the Youngstown district to commemorate local brand history and create an experience where people will come in from out of town to find one-of-a-kind gifts and shop apparel that benefits ACHMV.
The shop is located at 1282 Trumbull Ave, Suite A1 Girard, OH 44420.
The storefront is fully stocked with vintage candy, nostalgic sodas, all SMVT’s licensed apparel, and the largest collection of Klondike and Good Humor apparel in the USA, with both brands being founded and manufactured in Youngstown Ohio.
Linda Barton has partnered with Three Flags Architectural Salvage, based in Hubbard, which also has a passion for preserving and saving historical artifacts. They will have stained glass windows for sale in her shop, as well as some other antique oddities.
The apparel line first premiered in 2020, Barton felt inspired to give back to the community, picking Akron Children’s Hospital that saved her daughter’s life when she was young. Sweet Memories Vintage Tees donates 20% of each ‘sweets & treats’ shirt sold to the NICU. After Good Humor heard what she was doing they got her the rights and licensing for Popsicle, which then created the start of a mission.
In 2021, she acquired licensing for Dum-Dums, NECCO, Sweethearts, Smarties, PEZ, Bosco Chocolate, Starkist and Tootsie Roll Industries brands: DOTS, Caramel Apple Pops, Andes, Charms/Blow Pops, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Mama, Sugar Babies, Junior Mints, Charleston Chew, Cella’s, Dubble Bubble, Razzles.
In 2022, Barton expanded her reach into military brands, getting licensing with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy that benefits the US Morale program, which supports veterans with PTSD. The National Packard Museum joined the SMVT family with a partnership to support the museum and boost the history of the Packard Car & Electric Co. founded in Warren, Ohio.
Over the course of the last two years, with the support of the community, SMVT has raised over $25,000 for Akron Children’s with the sale of their apparel at events, online and in businesses like Daffins Candy, Volant Mills and Giant Eagle on Belmont Ave. The one rack in Giant Eagle has raised $1,100.00 in 2022 alone.
January of 2023 starts the launch of new partnerships with AirHeads, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Isaly’s, Klondike, Breyers, Peeps, Mike and Ike, and Hot Tamales.
The Sweet Memories operation is a small, but powerful, all woman team, including Barton and their graphic designer, Abbey Hennessey, an alumni of Youngstown State University, Gwendolynn Barton, Ecomm Manager and Samantha Gurd, Social Media Director; a student of YSU. All of SMVT’s apparel is designed and screen-printed locally at Barton’s business, New Dawn Design in Liberty Township, Ohio.