Intrigued by the letters, Beers agreed to meet with the students and they reached a mutually satisfying compromise: While candy cigarettes are still available at Grandpa Joe’s, Beers had them put out of view of impressionable youths.
Candy cigarettes have been a treat for years and are still popular, especially with nostalgic adults. While smoking was once more socially acceptable, the health risks and warnings have become more emphasized, and even something as innocent as a candy version may influence decision-making according to the students.
>> PHOTOS: A look inside Grandpa Joe’s in downtown Springfield
Some of the Ridgewood kids have seen family members’ health affected by smoking and have dealt with adults smoking at their activities. Iris Mohler was bothered by people smoking on the way to her dance studio, and MyLynn Terry encountered an adult at a softball game who said he couldn’t stop the habit.
Kabir Kathuria is concerned by vapes offering candy flavors.
The project got rolling when Beth Dixon, a life skills educator who works with several Clark County schools, showed the students old ads featuring smoking, including images of Santa Claus and babies. One child mentioned Grandpa Joe’s sold candy cigarettes, something the students didn’t like, and they discussed ways to persuade the business to stop selling them.
Dixon suggested writing letters to Beers, detailing why they thought the product should be pulled, sometimes in stark ways.
“The letters were so powerful,” Dixon said. “When I dropped them off, Chris Beers wasn’t happy. He was honest, but didn’t close the door on the kids. You could tell he cared, and it was really exciting when he reached back out.”
Beers admitted he was disappointed at the tone of some of the letters and wanted to be sure the kids weren’t being influenced by adults with an agenda.
“They were direct and accusing me of causing harm, but I knew they were coming from kids,” he said. “As a business owner, I’m part of a community and want to make sure we’re representing a position.”
Beers observed the product wasn’t targeting children, noting the majority of those who purchase candy sticks, his preferred term for the product, are mainly adults. He accepted an invitation to meet with the students at both schools.
They welcomed him and gave a presentation outlining their concerns and included results of a survey from others in their schools about the candy cigarettes. The survey found there was less awareness of the product, and kids in several grades hadn’t even heard of or tried them.
“It was a great presentation, and we had a great conversation, talked about the data,” Beers said. “We then talked for 35-40 minutes about their favorite candies.”
Beers compromised by moving the candy sticks out of kids’ eye level to the highest shelf. He also asked his employees to inform kids who wanted to purchase candy sticks to make sure they were with a parent.
The students responded joyfully. Kathuria said he jumped up and down on his bed when he got the response.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
“We changed a whole candy store,” said Avery Timmerman.
As a goodwill gesture, Beers gave the kids certificates for a free lollipop, and they responded enthusiastically and bragged they knew the owner of Grandpa Joe’s.
Teachers Kelly Biers of Ridgewood and Inge Miller of Catholic Central stressed how important voicing opinions were and what a good learning experience it was, especially when a compromise was reached. They also made sure the students sent thank you letters to show appreciation.
The students learned several skills, including public speaking, PowerPoint use, brainstorming and research during the project.
Looking back, the Ridgewood students were amazed at how they could make a change and are looking at other things they would like to change in the world. Answers ranged from educating about alcohol and drugs to the environment.
Beers said he’s appreciative of the community’s response to Grandpa Joe’s and the public can look forward to new items and attractions at the 101 W. High St. store.
“Involving the business with a school is really important as business owners have a responsibility to help out,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be in Springfield. We have an amazing team and our customers are unbelievable.”
The 6,000-square foot nostalgic candy store opened in November last year and specializes in candy, soda, ice cream and unique gifts. It is open seven days a week.
As the store opened, Greater Springfield Partnership president and CEO Mike McDorman said Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop was a great addition to the city’s downtown revitalization.
“We’ve all seen the energy that has been sparked,” McDorman said, calling it a “Willy Wonka” experience.
Dixon said seeing the overall results from the work of the students was a highlight of her career.
“You can help create change no matter your age and people will listen sometimes,” she said. “It was also a win for the field of prevention. It’s hard to make a change in policy, but this is the most effective way. The kids got a feeling of what real activism is like, and that’s really cool.”
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