Praline-maker River Street Sweets celebrates its 50th anniversary
The company also celebrated National Pralines Day on June 24.
Jennifer, Pam, Georgia, and Tim in Flagship Store. Photo credit: River Street Sweets
Dipping Pralines. Photo credit: River Street Sweets
River Street Sweets World Famous Pralines Sign. Photo credit: Doug Peckenpaugh
A River Street Sweets employee offers a praline sampler to a customer. Photo credit: River Street Sweets
The Strickland family. Photo credit: River Street Sweets
World Famous Pralines, Chocolate, and Original. Photo credit: Doug Peckenpaugh
The Strickland family. Photo credit: River Street Sweets
River Street Sweets is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Photo credit: Doug Peckenpaugh
Tim Showing Mary Jane and Mayor Johnson The Art of Scooping Pralines. Photo credit: Doug Peckenpaugh
World Famous Pralines Hand Dipped on the Marble Slab. Photo credit: Doug Peckenpaugh
World Famous Pralines, Chocolate, and Original. Photo credit: Doug Peckenpaugh
Old River Street Sweets storefront. Photo credit: River Street Sweets
Candy Industry Publisher Doug Peckenpaugh was able to catch up with Tim Strickland, co-owner, River Street Sweets, at its Savannah location on June 23. The company celebrated National Pralines Day on June 24.
This year’s celebration was 50 years in the making, as the Savannah family-owned business celebrated a half-century of butter, sugar, cream, and community service.
River Street Sweets initially started as a fudge store, in 1973, but later started making its “World Famous Pralines,” hand-dipped onto a piece of marble that Strickland’s father, Stan, bought from a gravestone company. Today, its pralines generate more than $30 million in annual sales.
The oldest candy store in Savannah, River Street Sweets is still operated by Tim and his older sister, Jennifer—and just down the street, Stan “The Candy Man” Strickland, their father, operates Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, the largest candy store in the South since 1990.
Including the original River Street location, River Street Sweets has two other Savannah locations, plus stores in Charleston and Myrtle Beach. In 2014, it began to franchise under the merged name “River Street Sweets • Savannah's Candy Kitchen,” and its first franchise opened in Pooler, GA at the Tanger Outlet Mall in 2015. The current franchise locations include Key West, FL; Lancaster, PA; Greenville, SC; The Battery in Atlanta, GA (2020); plus Asbury Park, NJ and Sunset Walk, Orlando, Florida.
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