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Speach Family Candy Keeps it Local Speach Family Candy Keeps it Local

By Louise Rath

LOUISE RATH: One hundred and one years, and four generations. That’s how long Speach family candy has been making the lives of Central New Yorkers, a little sweeter.

CANDY SHOP WORKER: Thank you so much for stopping! I hope you have a great day.

RATH: The candy shop is home to over six hundred house-made goods, and a bit of friendly competition.

SPEACH: My sister is actually my manager here in store… my youngest sister. So, a lot of sibling rivalry here in-store, it’s a lot of fun.

RATH: Michael Speach is the fourth ever President of Speach Family Candy, and it was his great-grandfather who started it all.

SPEACH: I always have a little bit of legacy guilt… in that, wow, it’s all on my shoulders now. And if it fails, it’s my fault.”

RATH: But of course, Michael still wants to do some things his own way.

SPEACH: I do think you know, what would my father think sometimes, and normally, whatever he would think I would do the opposite!

RATH: And in speech family Candy’s 101st year, they’re one of about 100 local businesses participating in the keeping it local initiative, which aims to bring some relief to small businesses as they look towards the holiday season.

SPEACH: The store will continue to get more and more Christmas as we go along.

RATH: And as the store gets more and more Christmas, Central New Yorkers will be able to buy gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses using county-funded vouchers.

SPEACH: Once those are released, I’m sure that we’re going to see a huge you know, flux of people coming in to redeem those.

RATH: This is the third round of Onondaga County’s keeping it local program, and Speach Family Candy is hoping this can add to their holiday success.

SPEACH: You know, we know that there’s this many gift certificates out. We know that we’re going to be expecting that much more in sales above and beyond what we would normally see for the holidays.

RATH: This holiday season, customers have access to four separate vouchers, which must be redeemed between this Thursday, and December 12th. Reporting in Syracuse, Louise Rath, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)—This November, Onondaga County is launching the third round of their “Keeping it Local” program, which supports small businesses by offering gift certificate vouchers just before the holiday season.

Speach Family Candy in Syracuse took part in the first two rounds of the program, and is gearing up for the third round, which launches this Thursday. Michael Speech Jr. is the president of Speech Family Candy

“I’m sure that we’re going to see a huge you know, flux of people coming in to redeem those [vouchers],” said  Speach.

Speach is the fourth president of the company, which was founded by his great-grandfather in 1920.

For the last 101 years, Speach Family Candy has opened their doors to central New Yorkers, offering over 600 house-made candies.

“I always have a little bit of legacy guilt, in that, wow, it’s all on my shoulders now,” Speech said.  “And if it fails, it’s my fault.”

Many of the shop’s workers are family members and friends, which Speach said keeps the workdays interesting.

“My sister is actually my manager here in store, my youngest sister,” said Speech. “So, there’s a lot of sibling rivalry here in-store, it’s a lot of fun.”

As the candy shop prepares for the busy holiday season, Speach said he hopes participating in the “Keeping it Local” program will help bring their sales revenue back to pre-pandemic levels.

“We know that there’s this many gift certificates out,” he said. “We know that we’re going to be expecting that much more in sales above and beyond what we would normally see for the holidays.”

The county-funded vouchers can be downloaded starting tomorrow, Nov. 11.

Vouchers can be redeemed when customers purchase a gift certificate to participating restaurants and businesses.

This round of Keeping it Local will issue $400,000 worth of vouchers, said County Executive Ryan McMahon.

The program will last from Nov. 11 to Dec. 12, which is the last day vouchers can be redeemed.

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