The kitchen behind the counter
The shop began as a working apothecary. Ada Caldwell filled prescriptions at the front counter and pressed honey-lemon lozenges and horehound squares in the back room for customers who wanted something gentler than a patent tonic. When the soda fountain next door closed in 1962, its mould table came through the shared wall and stayed.
Four generations later the work is unchanged in kind. Herbs and roots are steeped overnight, syrups are cooked to hard crack in copper, and the paste is turned on cool marble before it is pressed, counted, and packed by hand. The only modern additions are a calibrated thermometer and a very good exhaust fan.
What we make, and for whom
Our catalog is deliberately narrow. Seven archival lots cover the flavor families that American candy counters carried between the 1950s and the 1980s: horehound, sassafras, wintergreen, anise, clove, violet, rose, and wildflower honey. Nothing is built to chase a trend, and nothing is meant to be eaten by the handful.
- Keepsake gift tins and letterpress batch cards for host gifts and holidays
- Parchment twists for care package treats and pantry candy dishes
- Tasting boxes assembled for connoisseurs who want the full range
- Craft notes and flavor profiles for anyone planning a pairing in advance
The counter, in practical terms
Visit or write
- Kettle room and packing bench
-
118 South Main Street
Galena, Illinois 61036 - Counter hours
- Tuesday through Saturday, 9 until 4. The curing room is closed to visitors during the eleven-day rest.
- caldwellandclove.galena@gmail.com
- Reply window
- Two working days. Gift and assortment questions get a written reply with batch details.
The people at the marble table
Five of us work the room. Two cooks run the kettles, one presses and cuts, one packs tins and writes batch cards, and one keeps the ledger and answers the counter email. If you write with a question about a specific lot, the reply usually comes from the person who cooked it.
How a gift request usually works
Most gift buyers arrive with an occasion rather than a flavor in mind. Tell us the season, the number of tins, and whether the household keeps a candy dish in the front room or the kitchen, and we will suggest two or three lots with the texture and tasting window that suit it. You can also build a pairing on your own with the palate matcher on the main ledger page.
Build Gift Pairing Guide Inspect Batch Craft
House pages
- Allergen & craft advisory for shared handling in the kettle room and packing bench
- Privacy notes for how the site stores display and flavor preferences
- Terms of use for the reading and citation of this catalog