Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in February. The museum is famous for its one-of-a-kind candy, fudge, and pretzels. Nicole Bucher is the third-generation owner and chocolatier of the museum. Nicole and her husband Isaac purchased the shop in 2014.

“My grandfather started the business in 1975. He was kind of an unusual character. And I guess one of the fun things about our business is how much it has evolved over the years. When he first started, he had, you know, fun things from the 70s like cold creatures, like Pennsylvania, coal things, souvenirs and just unusual things that you would find at a tourism stop. So, but what he noticed is that Candy was really popular, and he also had this kind of wacky small elephant collection. He threw it in the store, and it got a lot of attention. So, he started focusing on the things that made money and got interest, “said Nicole Bucher.

In addition to the items sold in the stores, Nicole and Isaac give back to the community through various fundraisers.

“We have a fundraising program that allows local organizations to raise money through fudge pretzels and cinnamon glaze nuts. And we also did, we brought back a bunch of events. And so we have four large free community events throughout the year and one is our Easter egg hunt. Santa Claus comes to the store. We also have a pumpkin party and a s'mores event in our store, and those are all free to the public, “said Isaac Bucher.

For their 50th anniversary they’re working on a mural and are looking for the community’s support.

“I'm working with an artist right now. I am a big proponent of community arts, and we're working on a mural that our customers will be able to help us paint and we're going to install it on our property. And it's all going to be based on my grandfather and his dream he had. His mind was full of colorful notions, so it'll definitely be colorful and pay homage to what he's built, “said Nicole Bucher.