Iconic Sudbury Store To Mark 55 Years With Ribbon-Cutting

The longtime Mill Village shop will celebrate more than half a century in business this fall.

By Jessie Castellano, Patch Staff

Sep 9, 2026 4:31 PM EDT

Duck Soup will mark the 55th anniversary of its Oct. 12, 1971, opening with special events throughout October. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Oct. 10 at the store, 365 Boston Post Road. (Courtesy of Duck Soup)

SUDBURY, MA — A longtime Mill Village shop known for hard-to-find foods, gifts and a rescued New England candy bar will celebrate more than half a century in business this fall.

A portion of the store's sales that day will benefit the Sudbury Food Pantry. Duck Soup said the celebration will include local officials and representatives from the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.

The store is also asking customers to submit Duck Soup memories, whether from decades ago or a recent visit. The business plans to feature selected submissions and award a prize for one entry.

A Neighborhood General Store For 55 Years

Richard Ressler and Jim Barisano opened Duck Soup in the Mill Village Shopping Center in 1971. Louise Mawhinney, a former biotech chief financial officer who moved to Sudbury from Scotland in 1985, purchased the business in 2014.

"Duck Soup has thrived through ever-changing times by offering customers many purchase choices and unique experiences," Mawhinney said in an announcement. "Visitors can take part in classes including a British Afternoon Tea and browse a nostalgia-filled room stocked with toys and novelty sweet treats. They can even peek at the production of an 87-year-old chocolate bar institution in the very next room."

Louise Mawhinney, a former biotech chief financial officer who moved to Sudbury from Scotland in 1985, purchased the business in 2014. (Courtesy of Duck Soup)

The store sells specialty foods, kitchenware, coffee, gifts, toys and products from local and international makers. It also hosts cooking classes, camps, birthday parties, cake-decorating programs and team-building events.

Mawhinney purchased the Sky Bar brand at auction following the 2018 closure of the New England Confectionery Company. The candy bar, introduced in 1938, contains caramel, vanilla, peanut and fudge centers inside milk chocolate.

Sky Bar production resumed in Sudbury after the purchase. Every bar is now made in a facility next to Duck Soup, where visitors can watch the production process.

Duck Soup is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Anniversary updates and event registration are available on the store's website.