It all started in 1921 with a single shop in Los Angeles. Canadian chocolate salesman Charles A. See moved to Southern California with his family and knew that his mum, Mary See, had recipes to please American palates.
A century later, See’s Candies remains a beloved treat. Here’s a look at the new store at The Shops at Rossmoor in Seal Beach which celebrated a grand opening week beginning Friday, May 7, just in time for Mother’s Day.
Background: The 1,340 square-foot space was formerly occupied by Verizon. It’s one of 21 See’s stores in Orange County and a total of 108 locations in Southern California. See’s also opens about 150 pop-up shops each year. In 1972, the company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate owned by gazillionaire Warren E. Buffett, who writes in the book “See’s Famous Old Time Candies,” that See’s “became our model for investment in other quality companies.”
“This is actually our 251st shop,” said See’s CEO Pat Egan at the store on Friday. He explained that See’s closed during March and April of 2020 to put safety measures in place, and then reopened incrementally. Still, business has grown.
“We’ve had our best first quarter ever at the start of this year, the best January ever, the best February ever. And our e-commerce business has almost doubled year over year,” he said, attributing the latter to the marketing team’s social media drive.
The company’s research shows that once you’re a See’s customer, you stay one for life.
“We get to make people happy,” Egan said. “And that’s a tremendous thing.”
The look: It’s another nostalgic light-and-bright shop with the signature black-and-white color scheme that was modeled after Mary See’s kitchen.
At your service: If you’ve noticed See’s has employees of all ages, it’s because the chain has a reputation for retaining staff. Store manager Katie Sommers took a job there at 16 and has stayed for 21 years. On Friday she was bracing for an about 400 customers, “There’s been a great response from the community,” she said.
Linda Kuklinski found a second career at a store in Long Beach.
“I left a job working for an oil company after 35 years but this is something I love,” she said. Her son, dermatologist Larry Kuklinski, 33, drove from Los Angeles with a bouquet of fresh flowers to see mom off to work on her first day in Seal Beach. “I’m so proud of her. She’s excited for this store to open, she’s been working really hard,” he said.
What’s available: Soft centers, nuts and chews, truffles and other assortments are all prepackaged, or create your own assortment by selecting favorites. There are also lollipops, peanut brittle, chocolate bars — some come in sugar-free versions — and a lot more treats. See’s semisweet discs make heavenly chocolate chip cookies.
What’s new: During its centennial year, See’s will have special packaging and introduce a new product each month. Java lovers need to try the chocolate-covered coffee beans made with a medium roast Brazilian single-origin Arabica from Peet’s Coffee.
What’s for Mother’s Day: Assortment boxes of all kinds come pre-wrapped from a one-pound box tied with lilac ribbon ($25.50) to a pink 6-piece floral round ($13) that even a kid shopping with allowance money can afford.
Way beyond the free sample: See’s always gives customers a taste, and that didn’t stop even during the pandemic; it’s individually wrapped and staff asks that you enjoy it outside. But did you know that when a 100-year-old customer stops by they receive a “Gift of Elegance” box filled with four pounds of chocolates and candies?
Dolly Aldapa, 99, who will turn 100 in August and has loved See’s all her life, was presented with the present on Friday. “We were so surprised,” said Pat Pfeifer, her daughter, who lives in Arizona.
Aldapa resides in Independent Living in Westminster and likes jigsaw puzzles, Word Search books and the beach. She strolls without a cane or walker and eats chocolate every day.
“We call her the ultimate chocoholic,” Pfeifer said, adding that her hefty haul would be gone in about 12 days. “She can eat a pound of chocolates in three days — easy.”
Find it: 12355 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, 562-286-6104, sees.com.
Open: Shop hours can vary by day, certain holidays have extended hours. Check hours of operation on the store locator at sees.com.
Staff photographer Paul Bersebach contributed to this story.
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