Lammes Candies Ends 140-Year Run — Historic Candy Store Chain Closes

Lammes Candies historic candy store closes after 140 years as the Austin family business winds down and its Round Rock location has already shut. The Airport Boulevard store is still open, but only for a short time, giving customers one last chance to buy the company’s Texas chewie Pecan Praline.

Austin since 1885

1885 is where the story starts, when Lana Schmidt said her great-great-great grandfather launched the business, then called the red front candy store. Schmidt said the company was once lost in a poker game, then brought back after a $800 repayment, before the family renamed it Lammes Candies.

1972 marked another turn, when Schmidt said her father bought the business in its entirety. She said she and her brother and sister are the fifth generation involved, and that she started working the cash register at 12 years old.

Round Rock closes first

Last week, Lammes Candies closed its Round Rock location, narrowing the chain to one remaining store on Airport Boulevard. Schmidt said the company grew from a small shop on Congress Avenue into Austin’s hometown candy store, and that customers once treated it as a regular stop for candy in a city where other shops handled groceries, clothes and jewelry.

One of the most durable products was the Texas chewie Pecan Praline. Schmidt said it carried the business through sugar rations and wars because it could be shipped in Texas and overseas to military customers without melting.

Costs squeeze confections

Raw materials and labor costs were going up, Schmidt said, while the economy was escalating and margins in confections stayed thin. She said the decision was not easy, but the family needed to spend time with its grandchildren.

The company is urging customers to stop by the Airport Boulevard location while inventory lasts. Schmidt said the family expects people will miss the sweet treat and the tradition, and the business will miss the community that built around it.