My Remembrances - Getting Ready for Market
By Bill Schmid
The most lucrative retail business for Wolfgang’s Candy in the 1940’s through the 1960’s was via the farmers markets in the South Central Pennsylvania area. Getting the candy products to and from those markets was quite an undertaking.
Since the markets opened early in the morning the persons tending the markets had to rise very early. The markets attended in those years were the City Market, Central Market, and Farmers Market in York city. There were times when markets were attended by members of the Wolfgang family in Hanover, Columbia, Red Lion, and Harrisburg, PA.
The markets of the city of York had market days Tuesday through Saturday. Each of the three markets were open on specific days of the week. City Market was open on Wednesday and Saturday, Farmers Market on Friday and Saturday, and Central Market Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. They were all open the day before specific holidays, i.e., Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day (when it was celebrated on the 30th of May) and July 4th.
Most of the markets stands utilized by the company did not have any cooling capabilities for the hot summer months. The York markets were serviced by the company truck. The other mentioned markets were serviced by the vehicles of the persons “tending” those stands using their own vehicles.
The products for each market were assembled the day before and stored on wheeled trucks in the cooling room. On Saturday mornings, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the company truck would be loaded for the specific markets. There were two Wolfgang stands in the Central Market, one at the Philadelphia Street entrance and one at the Beaver Street entrance. The Saturday morning loading and delivering was an exciting endeavor. Since the company had but one truck, a sedan delivery style, not all of the markets could be loaded at one time. Therefore returning to the factory for additional deliveries had to be done.
Early on it was some undertaking getting the candy from the truck to the stands.
All of the candy filled “stock” boxes had to be carried in from the truck to the stand by hand. However, the Central and City Markets did have large trucks available for use by any and all vendors. Most often all of them were in use when the Wolfgang driver wanted to use one. Later on, the company used laundry carts for both loading the truck and delivering the candy to the stands. Obviously this made this job much easier. The driver had to learn how to best use his leverage for loading and unloading the carts at the Market Houses. That was true when he had no one to help with the loading and unloading. At the factory, a special aluminum ramp was used so the carts could be pushed to and from the loading platform and the truck.
The markets were an important part of life for the purchase of fresh and/or home grown fruits and vegetables, locally butchered meats, home crafted clothing, household goods, homemade baked goods, and of course Wolfgang’s candy products.
Saturday market was always the biggest because all of the markets were open. And, more people were available as customers on Saturdays. Many of the persons working during the week for the company were also employed as “clerks” for the markets. This gave the employees additional income. And for some it was the only employment they had in the Summer months when the candy company’s production was accomplished by fewer people.
It was mentioned above that since there were no refrigerated cases ice had to be made available for the positions on the market stands where chocolate products were displayed. This was another job for the truck driver. A trip to the York Ice Company was required so chopped ice could be purchased to be placed on the stands, in special pans, to keep the candy cool enough to eliminate the possibility of the chocolate melting. Sometimes it became too hot in the afternoon so the chocolate candy had to be returned to the factory. Nowadays, all of our market stands have refrigerated cases.
The farmers markets in York were quite an attraction up until the advent of the Super Markets and today’s Super Stores. Many people used mass transit (local busses) to travel from home to and from the markets. Therefore there were often young boys (early teens and some younger) who would provide their services to “carry your basket” Miss or Sir? These youngsters would carry the shoppers’ baskets throughout the market house and to the bus stop or to the person’s parked car. Many people had their “favorite” boys who waited at a particular spot outside the market house waiting to be of service. Some shoppers were known to go the extra mile for their “boys” by not only paying them for carrying their basket but to feed them lunch as well. It was neat to hear these young entrepreneurs referring to their employers by name very respectfully. And the same was true with the shopper referring to their hires.
When I started tending the Central Market (circa. 1949) it was a real family affair. Uncle Cleve Innerst (Grandma Wolfgang’s brother) and two of his children, Lloyd “Amos” Innerst and Pat Burk, comprised the worker list. Uncle Cleve and Amos worked in the kitchen in the Fall-Spring candy making season. Pat packed assorted candy under the leadership of my mother, Ruby Wolfgang Schmid during the same season.
My job at Central Market was sort of twofold: I had to tend the stand with the aforementioned people and also relieve my cousin Dorrie Wolfgang Whorl for lunch who attended the other stand at the same Market house. When I started driving the company truck for the markets, it then became my job to relieve the workers at that same stand and those who worked at the City and Farmers Markets for their lunch breaks.
The Wolfgang Candy Co. Inc. attends only 2 markets today: The New Eastern Market in East York and The Farmers Market on West Market and Penn Streets in York.
The Farmers Market is open on Fridays and Saturdays while the New Eastern Market is attended on Fridays only.
These “Farmers Markets” are still a very special part of many peoples’ weekly itinerary. And, for the most part, the people have their favorite venders from whom they purchase their food stuffs. Wolfgang Candy is very happy that the company stands are a part of that special itinerary.
