Watson’s Candies, Dave Portnoy & The Barstool Fund…

When the Watson’s decided it was time to sell the store, they sold it to the Hilliard family and then eventually it was sold to the current owner Virginia Tracey. The Watson’s only had a few requests when they sold the shop. Whoever would own it in the future had to keep the Watson name & promise that they would continue the traditional recipes & processes. The Hilliard’s kept the promise, and so did Virginia. If you were to walk into the shop today, we can assure you that our chocolates are going to taste exactly as they did back in 1932. We still use the same kettles, trays, tools & recipes that the Watson family did.

In order to keep this promise, there must be a certain type of person that works here. From beginning to end, the process of making our candy takes a lot of passion. We start with the cooks, that must intricately put the ingredients together. Then we have our dippers that spend time dipping each individual piece of chocolate. Once the candy is settled, it is individually packed into our gourmet boxes. After all of this, you get to order a box for yourself or your loved ones and that completes the whole process. Luckily, we have a staff that is dedicated to this craft.

Current shop located at 761 Main St. Walpole, MA 

At one point the shop had about 15 employees to do all of this work, beginning to end. Due to the pandemic & funding issues we are down to 7. On top of having a smaller staff, 4 of those employees are brand new. The Watson way is not one that is learned over night. Through our busiest time of year, our new employees had to jump headfirst into this and luckily, we were able to make it through this holiday season so far. It has taken an extreme amount of teamwork, patience and effort to deliver everyone’s beloved chocolates this past year. But we made it through and are looking forward to finishing out our busiest season on a high note!

Over the years we have heard a lot of stories while we are packing your orders. Stories about how you would watch the woman in the front of the old shop dipping candy. Or how you order our chocolates for Christmas every year, because your grandparents used to send them to you. Old employees coming in to say Virginia gave them their first job. Or parent’s coming in to send their kids across the country a little gift from home. The stories are endless, and we love to hear them all. Just another reason that small businesses are so important. It is such a personal experience to go to these shops, and we are so grateful that we get to stay a part of that with you.

With the money from The Barstool Fund, we are able to take a little breather and regroup. Virginia made a promise that she was going to get Watson’s to it’s 100th Year. Because of this opportunity, that goal is becoming even more of a reality. The Watson’s had a dream to give everyone a reason to smile during one of the toughest times this country has ever seen. Here we are in 2021, almost a year into this pandemic, with the same goal. Chocolate can’t fix all your problems, but it can sure make your day a little better!

So thank you again to David Portnoy, to Barstool, and of course all of you. Businesses like ours can only survive with the support of the people. We are forever grateful for all of your kindness.

We wanted to add a few pictures to show all of the owners of this little gem. Pictured below is Mr. & Mrs. Watson with their son Doug, Mr. Hilliard & Virginia Tracey. All three owners, keeping their promise, and doing things the same way. ♥