We are going to visit family and this store is very well organized and stocked. They had St. Louis…read moreboxes of handmade chocolate to gift. It is delicious smelling upon entry. The staff was helpful and nice.

Booked a tour for 11:30 on the website. Email changed to 11:00 to 11:30. Website still states 11:30…read moreis still a valid time to schedule a tour. I saw 11:30 as my tour time, so yes that was my err. When I arrived at 11:15 for my 11:30 tour the girl who greeted me was friendly and polite, but supervisor was NOT. When I questioned if there was any chance they could fit my party of 3 into next tour, he rudely replied all tours were booked full for day. I stated I had traveled over an hour and was met with another rude reply, we are booked full for the full day. Will I reschedule, no. I was offered a hat and a free piece of candy. Not their fault I did not read the email accurately, but don't offer tours on the website when it's not available. The Chocolate Cafe next door was another disappointment. Terrible watery hot chocolate and hard stale Chocolat du pan croissants.

Now, who doesn't love a hidden gem? Said no one ever! This place reminds me of walking into a candy…read morestore as a kid and having unlimited options for sweets and treats. It has candy, cookies, chips, pickles, and so much more. I was down a few doors at a hair shop and decided to stop to grab something to eat. The inside is well cleaned and maintained. When I came in, I was immediately greeted by a young man behind the counter. I ordered the chicken nachos, and the wait was not long. When it was my time to grab my order, I remembered I didn't order a drink and asked how much one of the drinks was in the cooler. The guy asked me which one I wanted and to my surprise didn't even charge me and put it inside my bag. What a nice gesture? Thank you! The nachos were good, and the chicken was seasoned well. If you are someone who has a sweet tooth, don't tell your dentist about this place! Or should you? Until next time...

Small black own business located on Natural Bridge Road. Congested parking lot in a strip mall…read more Neighborhood store. Staff friendly and approachable. Many varieties of old school candies and chips and drinks available. Hot food items are served as well. Jar pickles onsite.

Just visited 1904 General Store for the first time…read more I visited downtown Alton yesterday -- for the first time in years. Decided to check out the general store as soon as I saw it -- it's a cool, welcoming old building. The first floor is full of candy, chocolate, fudge, ice cream, and other treats. I picked out some candy and sampled some delicious Belgian chocolate bars. I bought one for me, but I'll be back in a few months for friends' birthdays, and to try the fudge myself. The ice cream flavors (about 8) were all unique -- you aren't getting a simple chocolate or vanilla here. The most common of the flavors available was a rainbow sorbet. I think some of the other flavors were Shipwreck, Pirate's Bounty, and Superman, though I may not be recalling the names accurately. The upstairs is full of home decor items, including a wall decorated to look like someone's front porch. The styles are cute, though not my speed, as I am something of a minimalist. You can read all about their business and the building's Worlds Fair history over on their facebook page. Hope to visit again soon.

Beautiful old building and lovely stained glass windows! Friendly service from the lady who sold us…read moreice cream and candy.

Merb's has fantastic chocolate... milk and dark... triangle-shaped break-apart and also pecan…read moreclusters, non pareils and more. And chocolate marshmallows and eggs for Easter. They have their own flavor that is similar to other dark chocolates but so nice and creamy... thankfully you may be challenged with determine - crunch it or let it melt in your mouth... or have two triangles and enjoy it both ways! Merb's is home of the bionic apple and also makes licorice and other non-chocolate candies; chocolate-covered strawberries at the right time of year. Thank you Merb's for providing one of the joys of life - chocolate!

Each holiday season, I receive approximately one dozen work-related gifts, small tokens of…read moreappreciation for another good year of working together. As the calendar page turned to December, I realized how much I was looking forward to a box of "snappers" from Merb's. This is unusual, because candy usually isn't the first thing I think of eating at the holidays, or any time of year. For the uninitiated, Merb's snappers look like the candy often called "turtles" by other confectioners. From my perspective, they seem both lighter and "meatier" (can you say that about the nut in a candy?). Turtles sometimes are a hunk of sweet gunk that stick to my teeth. But snappers seem more like an elegant dessert, especially the dark chocolate version. I'm not describing snappers very well. But I think you get the point that in the category of "candy," I hold snappers in high regard. My experience inside the shop was tops. Parked on the side street, was buzzed in, served immediately, all questions answered. My boxes of snappers were prepared, a mix of dark and milk chocolate (gifts to spread the Merb's love), and I purchased a bag of dark-chocolate almonds for the road. Thanks Merb's, your snappers are the best.

First time coming to this location. Was more crowded than I've seen in passing as people are…read morepreparing for the winter storm. Finding parking was hard. You would think with this being a store right near a busy intersection, the parking lot would be bigger. The store was like it was ransacked through due to all the people coming in and grabbing last minute groceries. But the workers were working as fast as they could. They only had two checkout lanes and self checkout open, which made the lines even longer. Aldi prices are fair and the quality of their food is decent.

I usually go to the Maplewood or Rock Hill location and was unsure how this one would be but it was…read moregreat. It was clean and fully stocked. The produce that I looked at was fresh and the check-out gal was friendly. No issues here.

Loved it! It was pricer than a normal ice cream truck but the quality was better too.read more

Love the new location. It's in a small strip center, so it is easy to get in and out of the parking…read morelot. It's so easy, I may have to control my cravings for their fresh and delicious cookies. My first visit to the new location, I grabbed three of my favorites. I enjoyed a, Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle and M & M. You can't go wrong with any of them. They are all super soft and full of flavor. The staff is the same as in the mall. They're friendly and give professional service. If you need to satisfy a sweet tooth, or need a platter of cookies for a party, give Cookie Factory a call.

I can't believe I just paid almost 8 dollars for a cookie that tasted so bad I had to throw it…read moreaway. I tried an iced chocolate chip cookie, it tasted like it had been sitting out for a month. Was so bad.

I was looking for a new place to celebrate, Vanilla Milkshake Day and I found a winner. That Good…read moreis really, That Good. I already know that I will be going back to try more of their sweet treats. As stated, I was out celebrating National Vanilla Milkshake Day. My milkshake was made from scratch. It was creamy, thick and had a rich vanilla flavor. It truly was a good old-fashioned milkshake, like those you'd see in the movie, Grease and on Happy Days. There is just something about a milkshake made by hand and not from a machine. There's several picnic type tables in front to sit and enjoy your treat. Plus, parking is not an issue with a parking lot and street parking. That Good is a small mom and pop business, so the customer service is warm and personable. It's also black owned. So, if you are craving ice cream as a sweet treat, go check out That Good.

I love the dessert options. The bubble wrap bowl is super appealing and fun to look at and eat…read more I also enjoyed watching all the local neighbors being able to just walk up and order their treats. It's so nice to see a snack shop with outdoor seating like this one on the community. They also have hot dogs, bratwursts and I don't remember the rest of the savory menu. It's worth a stop. And you get to do a lil people watching too!