Candy Man’s next chapter? Candy Corner sign appears at famed Orient sweets shop
The North Fork may soon have a new Willy Wonka to take over for Orient’s beloved Candy Man.
A new sign reading “Candy Corner” has gone up at the former Candy Man property on Main Road — about three months after the nearly four-decade-old shop closed following what longtime owner Debbie Michta described as a “tragic medical diagnosis” in the family. Her husband, Jim, has been battling cancer.
The new shop appears likely to operate out of the smaller white building on the property, which sits beside the famed long red structure that greeted visitors heading to the Cross Sound Ferry for decades.
Don Jayamaha, a Mattituck resident, confirmed to The Suffolk Times that he is the new owner, though a check of county property records did not yet show a completed sale.
He has been spotted at the site on numerous occasions amid renovations to both structures. The former Candy Man sign on the larger structure has been replaced by a “For Lease” banner, while work has been underway elsewhere at the site in recent weeks. The parking area has also been resurfaced with gravel.
Speculation has swirled that the larger building could be leased for a convenience store, though Mr. Jayamaha declined to discuss his plans for the property. The Orient Country Store on Village Lane is currently the only store that stocks groceries and prepared food in the hamlet.
The Candy Man sold its final chocolate bunny the day before Easter, ending a Main Road tradition that began when Ms. Michta’s grandfather started making chocolate rabbits in his garage in the 1960s.
It is not clear if the Michta family will have any involvement with the Candy Corner, which uses the same stylized font as the former shop.
Ms. Michta did not return requests for comment.
