May 5, 2009

Hard times for HumbugBy Mike KingMontrealGazette.com

The humble Humbug, a traditional British hard candy that began a popular run in Montreal during the Great Depression, has fallen on tough times in this latest recession.

Stilwell’s Home Made Candy Store, the confectionary shop that opened in September 1933 and became world famous for its distinct version of Humbugs, is now closed to the public.

At its peak, Stilwell’s sold at least a ton of Humbugs a year to sweet-toothed fans as far away as Europe, Russia, China and Japan.

Now, devotees are reduced to only five retail locations, all in Montreal, where they can still buy their beloved Humbugs.

The son-in-law of Kathleen (Kay) Light, the Stilwell’s matriarch of the family business who died nearly a decade ago at 83, continues making Humbugs on a limited basis.

“I do it as a side job when more special orders are needed,” said Lorne Jenkins, who is also keeper of the still-secret Humbug recipe that Light’s parents, Richard and Constance Stilwell, brought with them when they moved here from England in 1914.

Jenkins has directed some of the loyal customers to the remaining outlets that continue to carry the Humbugs.

“We sell tons,” said Toni Cochand, owner of Le Panier, a Pointe Claire Village emporium reminiscent of an old-fashioned New England store.

“Everybody wants the Humbugs, so we keep packages on each of our four cash registers,” she said.

They sold more than 3,200 225-gram bags last year, which is about the annual average, she said.

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