The magical little Massachusetts store that saved a classic candy bar from extinction
SUDBURY — You know the phrase, "a kid in a candy store?" Duck Soup does a public service in taking the age restriction off that feeling.
The quirky general store in Sudbury is not just a candy shop. It's a candy factory, gift shop, bakery, cheesemonger, liquor store, toy store and kitchen that hosts cooking classes.
Duck Soup's hot sauce wall is the stuff of legend. They have imported snacks broken down by country of origin. Not only does the store sell penny candy by weight. They sell a variety of spices by weight. Heck, Duck Soup even has its own proprietary blend of whole-bean coffee.
Walking into a quirky general store to poke around and see what's inside is a great feeling. But a lot of times, a thought starts to creep in of, "Oh, I can get all this stuff online, probably for cheaper."
Duck Soup in Sudbury has a little too much magic to run into that problem. That's thanks to Louise Mawhinney, who's made a habit of stocking her shelves with hard-to-find treasures.
A look around Duck Soup in Sudbury.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
See something cool? You might not find it anywhere else
Recently, Mawhinney has been buzzing about some of her new acquisitions, including a soft French cheese called "Explorateur" and some hard-to-find Kansas City BBQ. She says that if no one buys the burnt ends in the freezer, she's getting them for herself.
Mawhinney, who moved here from Scotland in the '80s, has a prominent display of bath, body and home products from Arran Sense of Scotland. She had to reach out to the company directly through a contact. But now she's one of the few brick-and-mortar locations that carries those products.
Duck Soup is also the primary retailer for Goodnow Farms Chocolate , one of the most decorated chocolate makers in the country. No one else has a wider inventory of their products in stock.
Not only is she helping companies do business, Mawhinney is also responsible for keeping some brands alive.
That includes Duck Soup itself. The store, which opened in 1971, was on course to close for good in 2014 when the previous owners looked to retire. Instead, Mawhinney stepped in to acquire the store, which she now runs with her son, Frank.
Three years later, Duck Soup acquired Kiff, a company that makes crunchy South Africa-inspired baked goods.
Then, in 2018, Mawhinney made headlines when she helped keep a beloved Massachusetts candy bar alive.
A Sky Bar, produced at Duck Soup in Sudbury.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
The return of the Sky Bar
The Sky Bar is a chocolate bar with four separate fillings (caramel, vanilla, peanut butter and fudge) that was introduced in 1938. When the candy bar's Massachusetts-based manufacturer, Necco, went out of business in 2018, Mawhinney stepped in to buy the recipes and intellectual property.
It took some tinkering with recipes and the construction of a custom machine for piping out the bars, but Duck Soup is now the sole manufacturer of the Sky Bar.
Mawhinney says that Necco had made some changes to its recipes over the years, going for cheaper ingredients and processes when business was dwindling. Mawhinney is only making the good stuff.
The Sky Bars at Duck Soup are produced using the older recipes for each of the fillings, which are made in-house. Meanwhile, Mawhinney insists on using higher-quality chocolate, loading the space with boxes of Belgian chocolate from Callebaut.
Now, Sky Bar essentially operates as a separate company out of Duck Soup's Route 20 location, complete with its own little wing. Away from the main general store is a gift shop that focuses on toys, specialty sodas, vintage candies and Sky Bar merchandise.
If you're lucky, you can even see staff at Duck Soup making Sky Bars through a window into the small-but-efficient production facility in the back corner.
A look around Duck Soup in Sudbury.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
A sense of wonder for all ages
Behind the counter at Duck Soup, there's a wall of penny candy for sale. Mawhinney says she loves watching kids budget their allowances to pick out the perfect assortment of candy to purchase.
Just to the left, you'll spot another wall full of jars. This one is full of spices that are sold by weight.
It's not quite as whimsical as the candy wall. But it's a handy resource for shoppers who only want a little bit of a certain product. For example, if you have a recipe for ground sumac, Hungarian paprika or goji berries, you don't need to waste money on a whole container of it.
Something you'll find yourself saying again while walking around Duck Soup is, "Oh wow, I need that."
It can be something practical like whole nutmeg, a paring knife or cheesecloth. It can also be something that can brighten your day, like stollen (a German Christmas bread), chocolate lava cake-style British pudding or "peaches & cream" liqueur that's perfect for eggnog.
Past the counter, you may notice that Duck Soup has a giant kitchen area. That's where staff preps the frozen take-and-bake baguettes available at the counter as well as the Kiff baked goods.
It's also where Duck Soup hosts a variety of events, which range from tastings to cooking classes. One day, the store will be hosting a whiskey tasting or giving out samples of wine. The next, there could be a class on how to make your own pasta or cannoli. You can check out the full list of events on the Duck Soup website .
What to know when visiting Duck Soup
Check them out: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Events Page
Where are they located?- Duck Soup is located in the Mill Village Shopping Center plaza. We recommend parking out back and using the rear entrance.
The address is: 365 Boston Post Road #106, Sudbury, Massachusetts, 01776.
What's the parking situation?- There is ample free parking at the Mill Village Shopping Center plaza
When are they open?- Here are the business hours at the time of writing:
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Monday: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Tuesday: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Thursday: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Sunday: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
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