By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Mayor Michael Nutter helped unwrap (not cut) the ribbon to reopen what’s believed to be the oldest operating candy store in the United States.

Shane Confectionery, at 110 Market Street, dates to 1863.  It is reopening now under the ownership of Eric and Ryan Berley, who also run the Franklin Fountain, an ice cream shop a few doors away.

Shane’s looks like it’s really old, but it’s a carefully crafted fantasy laid over modern processes and machines.

Story continues below photo…

(The presentation inside is decidedly old style. Credit: John Ostapkovich)

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Mayor Nutter noted how changing times took this block off the beaten path for a long while.

“Before I-95, before the Ben Franklin Bridge, before 30th Street Station, we had the Delaware River,” he said, “and many, many barges and ferries that helped to take people back and forth.  And the Shane Confectionary was passed by upwards of 200,000 people a day.”

Now, its owners hope it will be a destination to, as they call themselves, “historical storytellers in the confection business.”

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