A candy business that began in a basement in 1930 and lasted more than 95 years? That’s an impressive amount of sweetness for one family’s idea.
What started as a modest operation grew into a familiar name for generations of vacationers.
The Virginia company became known for saltwater taffy and other traditional candies associated with coastal trips. Its products helped turn a simple treat into a souvenir that families could bring home and share.
I like the way certain sweets become tied to memories of a place. A box of candy can remind someone of a summer holiday, a boardwalk stroll, or a gift from relatives who traveled.
The business’s long history also shows how a small family venture can develop a lasting identity. Not every basement project becomes a tradition that spans nearly a century.
A Basement, A Gas Stove, And Two Very Determined Newlyweds
Back in 1930, Charlie and Marion Forbes were brand-new newlyweds with a big sweet idea. Their first candy kitchen wasn’t in a shop at all, but in their own basement.
Marion’s father, known simply as “B” Powell, helped them get started. Family support mattered, especially when the business plan involved boiling sugar under your house.
The equipment list was wonderfully simple. They had a gas stove, a candy table, and copper kettles for cooking each batch.
Their first products were peanut brittle and the original stretch saltwater taffy. Both treats would follow Forbes Candies for the next 95-plus years.
I love how humble this beginning sounds. No fancy factory, no marketing team, and no giant machines doing the heavy lifting.
That basement setup also explains the company’s personality today. Small batches and copper kettles still show up in how Forbes Candies describes its taffy.
Think about what that means for your next bag of candy. You’re tasting a method that started with two people experimenting in a Virginia home.
Plenty of businesses claim old-fashioned roots. Few can point to a basement, a father-in-law, and a kettle of bubbling brittle as proof.
One Month Open, Then A Hurricane Showed Up Uninvited
Talk about rotten timing. By 1933, the Forbes family opened their first retail store on the Virginia Beach oceanfront.
Just one month later, a hurricane destroyed it. Most people would have packed up the kettles and found a quieter hobby.
Charlie and Marion went the other direction. They converted a two-car garage on Atlantic Avenue into a brand-new candy shop.
Honestly, that might be the most Virginia Beach move ever. The ocean took a swing, so they set up shop right back beside it.
A garage storefront also tells you something about their style. They worked with what they had and kept the candy moving.
That scrappy energy helped shape the brand’s long life. A business that bounces back this fast learns early how to handle rough weather.
Atlantic Avenue is still home base for the retail side today. The company’s shops sit along the same oceanfront strip where that garage store once stood.
So when you buy taffy near the boardwalk, you’re standing in comeback territory. Every box carries a little bit of that stubborn 1933 rebuild.
Not bad for a shop that started over before its first summer ended.
Sugar Ran Short, So Popcorn Saved The Day
Sugar is pretty important when you run a candy company. During the 1940s, sugar rations made that ingredient hard to get.
Marion Forbes didn’t sit around waiting for things to improve. Her clever thinking led the shop to start selling popcorn.
The idea worked beautifully. Popcorn became very popular, giving customers something tasty while candy-making faced tough limits.
I like this part of the story because it feels so practical. When one door closed, Marion simply opened a bag of kernels.
Small family businesses often survive on moments like this. One smart pivot can keep the lights on and the customers coming back.
Popcorn also fits right into a beach outing. It’s salty, easy to share, and simple to munch while strolling near the ocean.
Here’s a takeaway worth stealing for your own life. Flexibility can matter just as much as a great recipe.
Forbes Candies might be known for taffy now. Still, a humble snack helped carry the company through one of its hardest stretches.
Next time you smell popcorn on a boardwalk, give Marion a little credit. She turned a shortage into a success story.
Over 30 Taffy Flavors And A Million Pounds A Year
A million pounds. That’s how much saltwater taffy the Forbes Candies factory in Virginia Beach produces every year.
The company calls itself the largest manufacturer of saltwater taffy on the East Coast. Not bad for a treat first stretched in a basement.
The process still leans on old-school methods. Taffy is cooked in small batches in copper kettles, then stretched for a soft, chewy bite.
Choosing a flavor can be the hardest part of your visit. More than 30 varieties are available, so decision-making may take a while.
Sour fans have options too, including sour taffy mixes. Pre-packaged containers make grabbing a gift easy if you’re in a hurry.
Want more control? Customers can build their own custom taffy mix and skip any flavors they’d rather avoid.
A smart tip is to mix a few classics with something unusual. That way, every handful feels a little like a surprise.
Taffy also travels well, which makes it a classic souvenir. Toss a box in your beach bag and someone back home will thank you.
After 95-plus years of practice, this team really knows how to pull candy.
Chocolate Turtles Joined The Party In The 1950s
Taffy and brittle had a great run on their own. Then the 1950s and ’60s brought creamy fudge and homemade chocolates into the lineup.
Pecan caramel delights led the way. You might know them better as turtles, with pecans, caramel, and chocolate all stacked together.
Forbes Candies still makes handcrafted chocolates in small batches right in Virginia Beach. The selection has grown quite a bit since those early years.
Look for dark chocolate sea salt caramels, chocolate-dipped jellies, and buttercreams. There’s also toffee almond butter crunch for anyone who likes some snap.
Peanut butter cups, chocolate coconut squares, and bark round out the case. Candy s’mores are another fun pick for campfire fans.
Fudge comes in several gourmet flavors too. Chocolate and brownie fudge make a rich choice if you’re shopping for a dessert lover.
Watching sugar? Sugar-free chocolates, taffy, and fudge are available, so nobody gets left out of the fun.
My advice is to grab a small mix instead of one big box. Sampling a few styles helps you find your favorite faster.
The Brittle Recipe Never Got An Update, Thankfully
Some recipes don’t need fixing. Forbes Candies still makes its peanut brittle with the same authentic recipe used in its first store.
That’s a long time to stick with one plan. It also tells you the founders got something right on day one.
Brittle comes in a few styles today. You can find peanut, cashew, and a peanut and coconut mix in large boxes or small bags.
Then there’s seafoam, a treat many younger folks have never tried. Forbes offers both brown sugar and vanilla versions.
Seafoam is an old-fashioned candy with a light, airy texture. It’s a fun pick if you want something different from the usual chocolate bar.
Nuts and chewy gummies are on the shelves too. That gives snackers plenty of ground between crunchy and soft.
Brittle makes an especially good gift for grandparents. Many older candy fans remember it from their own beach trips years ago.
I believe recipes like this act as tiny time capsules. One crunchy bite connects you to a Virginia kitchen from the 1930s.
Honestly, that’s way more history than most snacks can claim.
Your Boardwalk Stroll Should End With Ice Cream And Souvenirs
Two shops on Atlantic Avenue carry the Forbes Candies name at the oceanfront. One is Forbes Candies and Gifts at 2318 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451.
The other is Forbes Candies & Ice Cream at 2800 Atlantic Ave A, near 28th Street. It sits an easy walk from the boardwalk.
That second location adds ice cream to the candy lineup. A cold scoop after hours in the sun sounds like a very good plan.
The stores go beyond sweets, too. Shelves hold gifts, souvenirs, and beach accessories alongside the taffy and fudge.
That means one stop can handle a lot. You can grab a beach item, a T-shirt for a cousin, and candy for the ride home.
Parking near the oceanfront can get pricey. Walking over from your hotel or the boardwalk is often the simpler choice.
Store hours often run from morning into the evening. Off-season hours change, so check before making a special trip.
The whole setup feels tied to classic seaside summers. Candy, salt air, and souvenirs just belong together in Virginia Beach.
Taffy From This Factory Travels Way Past The Beach
Plenty of Forbes candy never sees the Atlantic Ocean. The company’s wholesale side ships taffy, brittles, and gummies across the USA and around the world.
Businesses can even order private labeling. Custom-printed labels let a shop put its own name on Forbes-made treats.
That’s a big leap from one basement kitchen. Now the candy might show up in stores far from Virginia.
The corporate office and factory sit at 1300 Taylor Farm Road in Virginia Beach. This spot mainly handles online order pickup.
Don’t plan a tour there just yet. The factory isn’t open to the public for retail sales or tours right now.
Back in 2022, plans for a new factory included space for public tours. A retail outlet was also part of that idea.
Fingers crossed that happens someday. Watching taffy get pulled would be a dream field trip for kids and adults alike.
For now, online ordering keeps the candy flowing to fans everywhere. It’s handy if you miss the beach but still crave a chewy bite.
Sometimes the best souvenir is the one that shows up at your door.
Nearly A Century Later, The Sweet Story Keeps Going
Ninety-five years is a long time in candy years. Forbes Candies has kept cooking through hurricanes, rations, and plenty of changing tastes.
Leadership changed along the way too. Martin Cochran joined the company in the mid-1990s and later bought the business from the Forbes family.
He now serves as owner and president. The company says it remains locally owned and operated.
It also says it stays true to values set by Charlie and Marion. Small batches and old recipes help back up that promise.
Growth didn’t stop at the Virginia line, either. In the 1960s, the business expanded into the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Still, Virginia Beach remains the heart of the story. The factory, the oceanfront shops, and the history all live here.
I think that’s the real secret behind its staying power. The company changed when it had to, but kept the parts people loved.
So grab a box of taffy on your next trip. You’ll be joining a tradition that started with two newlyweds and a stove.
That’s a sweet ending, and it isn’t really an ending at all.
