After Milton Hershey completed his apprenticeship with Lancaster confectioner, Joseph Royer, he wanted to open his own candy shop. Not wanting to compete with his teacher, Hershey traveled to Philadelphia in May 1876 to look for a suitable space to rent for his new business. He found a shop at 935 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia.

Confectionery competition in Philadelphia was fierce. Milton Hershey’s product line was good but the volume of candy produced was too small to make much of a profit. He had neither the equipment nor a large enough staff to permit him to mass produce and distribute enough candy to make money out of penny goods. Though his sales kept up with production, Hershey was not able to earn enough to keep ahead of his bills.

You may enjoy this article “Milton Snavely Hershey in Philadelphia, 1876-1882” which shares how Milton’s father, Harry Hershey, peddled candy to help his son.

This entry originated with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation. There is much more to explore on their website:
http://paheritage.org/