A beloved candy chain with roots dating back to 1885 is shuttering most of its Texas storefronts, citing 'unprecedented economic pressures' as the reason for the dramatic move.
Lammes Candies confirmed that six of its seven locations will close their doors for good, leaving just its flagship store on Airport Boulevard in Austin standing. The company said it would begin an 'orderly wind-down of operations', including fulfilling any lingering orders and supporting its employees through the transition process.
It will continue to sell confections via their website, including the famous pecan pralines first sold in 1892 after years of taste testing using local pecans, until the company is out of product.
'This was not an easy decision,' they said. 'Lammes Candies has been more than a business - it has been a family legacy spanning generations. We are deeply grateful to our employees, customers and community for their unwavering support over the last 141 years.'
History of Lammes Candies
Founded in 1876 by William Wirt Lamme, the sweet-treat venture began as the Red Front Candy Factory on Congress Avenue before Lamme reportedly lost the shop in a poker game. In 1885, his son David Turner Lamme snapped up the business for $800, resurrecting the brand and putting it firmly back in his family's hands.
By the turn of the century, David rebranded the store as Lammes Candies, eventually opening its now-famous headquarters on Austin's Airport Boulevard in 1957. Lammes Candies is known for its pralines, but they sell a variety of sweets like cherry cordials, longhorns and caramels.
Now run by the fifth generation of the Lamme family, the business has become a local institution - even boasting Austin's very first neon sign with its lamb logo, according to the company.
'Thank you for allowing us to be part of your traditions and memories for more than a century,' the company wrote in a letter to customers. 'It has truly been an honor to serve you.'
Community Reaction
Some locals said they 'can't believe' the candy store is closing after so long. One Reddit user wrote, 'That's so sad. I've never been a chocolate candy person, but in the 90s and early 2000s we used to go to Lammes all the time... I'll always have fond memories.'
'Growing up here, their chocolate covered strawberries were a big deal back in the 80s,' another said. 'Sorry to see them go. I purchased many treats at their Barton Creek mall store.'
As prices rise across Texas, some mom-and-pop stores are being forced out because of rising prices. Last year, Biscuit Bar, which operated five restaurants across the Dallas–Fort Worth area and another in Abilene, announced its 'incredibly painful' closure. Owners Jake and Janie Burkett pointed to rising costs, supply-chain disruptions and what they described as 'a commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests' as reasons behind their decision.
The Austin area, in particular, saw a bubble burst when young professionals began flocking to the area. Real estate developer Uri Man explained that Austin had one of the fastest growing cycles in the country during Covid. When tech workers started moving to the city, he added, developers responded with a 'massive wave of apartment construction.'
'That surge in new units has temporarily shifted the market in favor of renters and led to more than two years of rent declines,' Man exclusively told The Daily Mail.
Austin is now among four metros that have 50 percent more homes on the market than pre-pandemic norms, Realtor.com reports. This is a bleak sign for the city - and for homebuyers that took the plunge during Austin's up.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Lammes Candies for a comment.
