A little Lillie Mae History
Lillie Mae Candies opened in 1939 on East Main Street by George Demopolus, named for his daughter Lillie Mae. In 1942, the business was bought by John Moucoulis and Peter Mercuris and moved to 108 E Main Street. Andy Mercury joined the partnership in 1945 and Bill Moucoulis in 1947. The business was a homemade candy store and cafe/soda fountain operated by the four partners and was a favorite meeting place for teenagers and adults. In 1955, Bill Moucoulis left the business and in 1965 John Moucoulis left.
Peter Mercuris and Andy Mercury ran the business until 1974 when Securtiy Bank needed the area. Peter Mercuris then retired and Andy became the sole owner - moving all the fixtures, booths, and original soda fountain to 23 W Main Street. They actually rolled a one ton mixer through the alleys on logs to get it to the new shop - the men helping said "never again!!". Andy and his wife Helen, and daughters Sophia and Mary, along with countless employees over the years ran the popular cafe and homemade candy store which catered to shoppers and downtown personnel.
In 1985, Andy and family decided to retire and daughter Georgia and her husband Buck moved from Los Angeles and bought the business. The business continued to serve Marshalltown as a cafe and homemade candy store until 1992 when the decision was made to close the cafe and expand the candy store operation. Remodeling was done and the candy and chocolate operations were enlarged and moved into the main floor area where visitors could watch the hand dipping.
In 2003 Buck and Georgia decided it was time to retire. Aimee Deimerly-Snyder and Tom Snyder bought the business. Aimee was very interested in Lillie Mae after a long time love affair with the candy. She had many encounters with the candy growning up and knew how special it was from her grandma Mary. Her Grandma had a sweet tooth and everyone gave her chocolates. She had a tendency to hide the Lillie Mae Chocolates from her family but would gladly give them the cheap store bought candies. She kept Lillie Mae all for herself!!
Tom and Aimee decided to keep the recipes the same and continue the tradition of creating handmade, hand-dipped confections. In 2011 Tom and Aimee moved the candy shop to their home and focused on seasonal specialties. In 2020 they decided the time was right to reopen the store at 217 N 13th Street in the Historic 13th Street District. Now the candy is both cooked and the chocolates are dipped before your eyes. We ship chocolates and caramels as we have for years sending chocolates nationwide at Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter and all year long.
