At Bayard's Chocolate House, a Decades-Old Recipe for Success

The rush of midday traffic roars incessantly on Route 130 northbound with startling force past , where candy has been doled out since the days when gas averaged 25¢ a gallon.

In the summer, the outdoor double swing mostly sits empty. Yet it’s only a matter of time before passing motorists have been beckoned inside the century-old colonial structure for generations.

In 1939, so the story goes, South Jersey native James Bayard Kelly ll realized his homemade candy had become a local favorite. He expanded the operation beyond his house into three shops in Cherry Hill, Cinnaminson and Pennsauken.

For nearly 50 years, a factory located on Haddonfield Road behind the Pennsauken shop churned out holiday buttercreams, chocolate-coated pretzels, peanut butter Easter eggs and chewy caramels. 

Its reputation spread to Frank Glaser, owner of the Fralinger’s and James’ Salt Water Taffy companies in Atlantic City, who bought Bayard’s and its treasure trove of recipes in 2004 after Kelly died.

Since the Glasers took over, the two remaining Bayard’s sell Fralinger’s and James’ salt water taffies, 12 flavors of fudge, Johnson’s Popcorn and macaroons.

Glaser also shuttered the Pennsauken store—which didn’t go down well with the regulars—and moved its candy-making business to Atlantic City, said Fran Kozak, who has managed the Cinnaminson store since 1996.

In Kozak's shop, a gargantuan amount of chocolates await visitors: some set in towers, some in geometric circles, all on glass shelving supported by brass candlestick holders—just as Kelly insisted his candies be displayed after seeing similar setups in European chocolate shops. Dramatic, chocolate-filled hutches stand against wallpaper adorned with scenes of Revolutionary War soldiers in Valley Forge. 

“I’ve been told that chocolates stores like this just don’t exist in other parts of the United States,” said Kozak. “I just had a woman in from Massachusetts who told me she wished she had a store like this in her town.”

Each year the faithful return to Bayard’s, as predictable as the seasons, to purchase the confection of the hour. Halloween starts the busy time, when the store sells ghost lollipops, gummy teeth, worms and other bewitching treats. Then the real stalwarts keep business brisk until , when the store carries chocolate-covered strawberries, with a bit of a lull until the Easter bunny takes a seat at that double swing.

And those chocolate bunnies are the store’s biggest seller, according to Kozak.

“There was a time when we would sell more candy canes and other novelty candies, but they’re not as popular anymore,” said Bobbie Kelly (no relation to the original owner), a 29-year-veteran worker of Bayard’s, "but chocolate stays popular with everyone.”

As days begin to shorten and leaves turn colors, Kozak, Kelly and their staff, will prepare for the nearing holidays. They will welcome old friends and make new ones as customers come into the legendary shop. 

“Mr. Kelly wanted his stores to feel like a living room,” said Kozak. “The idea was to make everyone feel at home.”