Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more Pop. Pop. Get your popcorn here! Popcorn is like a burger sandwich or pizza. You can get your basic form of the food but the sky is the limit on the various ways to prepare it. Pizzas, sandwiches and popcorn are one of the many foods that comes in a million different flavors and combinations. Maybe not everyone loves popcorn (do these people even exist?) but places like Holland's Caramelcorn can offer popcorn lovers a seemingly endless variety to pick from. Having been through the Washington Square a few times, I noticed there were some cool and interesting shops to check out. So, I planned a day to explore the town's square and see what the local community has to offer. Upon finding a parking spot and entering the store, I knew I liked the place. It had this welcoming feeling to it and the person behind the counter was super friendly. The store was wide open and kept the merchandise against the walls. This allowed my friend and I an easy way to browse their wares. If you came here expecting to get much beyond the popcorn and soda, you will be disappointed. This store specializes in the popcorn and random sodas you've never heard of before. Luckily, there is a shop next door called Holland's Mercantile. But that's for another blog post. While we wandered the store, I managed to accumulate a handful of popcorn and sodas to take home with me to enjoy at my leisure. I don't remember how much everything cost but I wasn't worried about spending a few extra bucks to support local businesses. I will be honest, I may not have waited to get home before sampling some of the goods. The soda was a root beer variety and was bubbly and good. The popcorn, which the flavor escapes me, was good, tasted fresh, and had a bit of that grandma's love put in to it. Overall, it was a nice stop to pick up some goodies and to support a local business. If you happen to need some need for gourmet popcorn and odd ball sodas, you can't go wrong at Holland's. I believe they even do bulk orders for businesses. Remember, try to support those local businesses around you if at all possible.

Great old fashion shop, however they only pop once a week per the owner and the prices are higher…read morethan other small midwestern popcorn shops.

Awesome popcorn, great flavor selection, and wonderful owners! It is always a special treat when my…read morehusband surprises me with popcorn from Young's Popcorn Heaven!

I have known the owner's for years, but today is the first time I have visited and toured their…read moreestablishment! I am extremely disappointed in myself. OUT OF THIS WORLD POPCORN. Today I tried the Chi-Town Mix, which is Cheddar & Carmel. It is to die for. Will try a different flavor next time, they only have a few to try from I believe 52. I also believe their pricing was great:)

Delicious! So many options and such a fun place! Loved the option of team tins of different sizes!read more

Such a fun place! So many popcorn flavors and specialty candy to choose from. I got Puppy Chow,…read moreWhite Cheddar, and Extra Cheesy Cheese. A little on the pricey side but worth it for the flavor!

Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more Sugar. Spice. Everything nice. Like in a lot of smaller towns, you'll usually have or find a business that deals in candy. Sugary confections. Sweet treats. Candy from yesteryears. Soda (pop) in more varieties than you care for it to come in. Things you think you'd never see again and things you fall in love with. Holland's Mercantile fills that role for Washington, IL. My friend Matt and I decided to spend an afternoon exploring the Washington Square to see what the town and it's folk offered. The words on the front of the store's glass got me excited at the possibilities held inside. As we opened the door and headed in, the excitement increased tenfold. It was like being a kid in a candy store. Except that we are adults... in a candy store. Upon entering, I first noticed the long row of candy in the glass containers where you can scoop out as much as you want. Lining the walls were a million different candy from a million different times and cultures. I saw things I hadn't seen in years. They had stuff I didn't think existed in time where color TV is the norm. On top of the candy, they also had a display case full of baked goods. Whether these are made in-house or from a local bakery, I am not sure. Either way, the stuff looked fantastic behind the glass. Turtles. Truffles. Caramel Bars. It all looked so good that I think my blood sugar level elevated just looking at the offerings. This store has more than just candy, baked goodies, and sweets from everyone's childhood. They also had the novelty toys from the same time period the candy/sweets come from. There were novelty toys that tied in to current day trends but they also had toys that kids from our time would enjoy just as much as kids from the time from which they came. I also think there was a back room that was full of a combination of everything the store offered. On this day, I let my inner child run wild and I picked up a small sack full of candy. I didn't want to get too much because I don't have the best self-control when it comes to my sweet tooth. Next door is another Holland's store that offers up popcorn in many different flavors and even more soda to pick from. This store did remind me of the candy store from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, minus the Candy Man tossing candy to and fro. Though that would've been quite the sight to see. The store just has this feeling of being a great place to get your sweet tooth fix while reliving items from your childhood and also your parent's childhood. I will end this with a warning. If you have kids and bring them here... expect to drop a lot of money on sweets and toys. It's easy to spend a small fortune in a place like this. Also, don't let your kids see Holland's Caramelcorn next door. They might get loaded up on sugar and then get popcorn cheese everywhere. How sweet it is.

The best variety of popcorn indulgence is waiting for you at Hollands. It is hands down better…read morethan Garrett's! I make trips to central Illinois, and this is one of my must do stops!

Review Visit: December 28th, 2019…read more Candies, sodas, gums, ice cream... oh my! After having a drink and lunch at Happy Thought Coffee, we needed some dessert. We each had a $25 gift card to Little Land of Candy, so walked up there to pick out some sweets. We entered and were greeted with a cluttered front of the store. The first 10 feet felt like they were packing up all their christmas decorations as there were boxes everywhere. There was also a table of assorted tupperware containers for sale. Quite the odd entrance area but we quickly moved beyond that and entered the Willy Wonka Chocolate factory-like place. Despite it being a smaller shop, it was packed to the brim with things that would make a diabetic person swoon from just looking around. Candies, chocolates, gummies, sodas, energy drinks and so on and so forth were lining the walls and shelves. We all grabbed a hand basket and set to town spending our $25. Aside from a few things, nothing really had a price label. So we threw caution to the wind and started loading our baskets up with more snacks than any one person should really have. We browsed the store front to back, side to side, picking up random stuff and tossing it in our baskets. After about 20 minutes, we all had picked out our goodies and proceeded to the cashier. The cashier was super patient and friendly as we all checked out at the same time. Not knowing what each thing cost, we had no idea what our totals would come close to. Matt was first to go and spent $26.50. I was second and my total was $35.50. Tim was last and spent the least at around $25.95. We quickly gathered up our sugar and headed back to the car. If you've ever been to a local candy store, this place will feel familiar. If you've ever been to a Rocket Fizz, then you'll recognize some of the brands and products in this place. Some stuff was even labeled with the Rocket Brand logo. This was a pleasant surprise as I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to one of their stores before. If you find yourself with a sweet tooth and in the Chillicothe area, Little Land of Candy will surely have what your sweet tooth desires. You might even find a few new odds and ends there that you fall in love with.

If you have a craving for candy, this is your place. They have all the old school candy and they…read morenew trends. It's right next door to the movie theater in case you want to take something to the movie.

New owners and the place looks great! Great selection of flavored popcorn, specialty sodas and…read morecandy. If you are looking for make your own popcorn kits you will find that too. Nice family owned business.

Great find in Lacon Illinois, offering assorted popcorn flavors. Right off Route 17 next to…read moreChrissys Cupboard which is a new bakery!