Crabtree’s Candies is a Stanton staple

LIKE GEMS AT A JEWELRY STORE, the treats in the glass case inside Crabtree’s Candies have a decadence and attraction all their own. The names identifying each row of individually sealed candies suggest an extravagant indulgence: 

Pecan Divinity. 

Mocha Truffles. 

Orange Dreamsicle Fudge. 

Standing behind the counter with a smile just as sweet is long-time Clark Energy consumer-member Brenda Crabtree. For the last 25 years, she has been the co-owner and chief proprietor of the business founded by Paulene and Herman Crabtree in 1979. 

“They started out with peanut butter roll and cream candy,” Brenda says. “I helped them some because Mr. Crabtree asked if I could come and make some fudge for him, and so I did. That’s how I was so close to him.” 

Co-owned today by Brenda’s daughter and son-in-law, Crabtree’s Candies has been a roaming staple in Stanton, moving to its fourth and what Brenda says will be its final location on North Main Street in 2019. 

As she tells the story, Crabtree lays out and cuts two long peanut butter rolls on a table, while her co-worker and granddaughter, Micaiah Stevens, looks on. 

“I don’t know of any place that makes peanut butter roll like we do. We make it the old-fashioned way,” Crabtree explains. “We use egg white and cooked syrup.”

During the Christmas season, their busiest time, Crabtree’s Candies makes several batches of each candy daily.

Though candy is the core business, loyal customers know to watch the store’s Facebook page, where Stevens posts the “Friday Sweet Treats” of the week, such as chess bars, fudge rounds, brownies and more. The page also shows the many birthday and wedding cakes Stevens bakes.

With a loyal following in Powell County, Crabtree’s Candies also sells wholesale, including to Estepp’s Friendly Express Shell stores. The candy store also accepts phone orders and ships via UPS, especially its signature peanut butter roll. 

“It’s an old-fashioned candy that people, especially from out of state, don’t really know about,” Stevens says. “It’s kind of unique.”