The Clark Bar arrives in short supply in Monongahela
Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter
Heidi Hoffman is shown at her Monongahela shop Thursday with a Clark Bar.
Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter
The new Clark Bar wrapper pays tribute to its roots.
MONONGAHELA – A Monongahela candy shop was supplied just one box this month of the relaunched Clark Bar through a lottery system as sweet tooths have been craving nostalgic candy.
Sweets by Mrs. C has limited sales of the iconic candy bar invented a century ago in Pittsburgh to two per customer as the chocolate-covered peanut butter crunch bar is in short supply, the store’s supplier said.
“It is the Holy Grail piece of candy right now,” said Jon Prince, owner of McKeesport Candy Co.
Prince and Mrs. C owner Heidi Hoffman believe old-fashioned candy has been growing in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic because people seem to be craving comfort food from their childhoods.
“That was a blessing,” Hoffman said. “The nostalgic candy just took off. The Necco Wafers just fly out of here,” she said, referring to her shop at 260 W. Main Street.
Prince said his grandfather was friends with the Clark family and among the first distributors to help launch the candy bar after it was invented in 1917.
The Boyer Candy Co. purchased the rights to the Clark Bar from its former owner, New England Confectionery Co. in Massachusetts, two years ago. The bar with a slightly different recipe made its return on Valentine’s Day in Pittsburgh, and its label pays tribute to its roots with the phrase, “BORN IN THE ‘BURGH.”
“There are not a lot of them on the market right now,” Prince said. “They can’t keep up with the product. It’s kind of crazy. It’s still a classic bar.”
He sells product online at Candy Favorites, where the Necco Wafers and Clark Bars were sold out.