Bustling with last-minute Valentine’s Day shoppers and some regular customers, Richardson’s Candy House served area chocolate lovers using family recipes.

Don and Peggy Richardson founded the shop in 1970. They used recipes given to them by Peggy’s mother, Dolly Smith, who owned candy stores in West Palm Beach, Fla., in the 1930s and 1940s.

“The recipes have been handed down owner to owner,” said Terry Hicklin, who has co-owned the shop with his wife, Pat, since 1999.

Under the Hicklins’ ownership, the Candy House has opened two new locations, one in Carthage and one in Springfield.

Hicklin admits this time of year is the busiest for them.

“We’ve been making Valentine’s products since the day after Christmas,” he said.

The Candy House employs twice as many people during the Valentine’s season than it does the rest of the year.

“The 13th and 14th are our two single, largest volume days of the year,” Hicklin said.

He said during the two months before Valentine’s Day, men comprise 65-70 percent of the number of customers, but women are the primary customers the other 10 months of the year. Some customers visit a few times a week, others only a couple times a year. But some customers are first-time Candy House shoppers.

Jamie Parks, a Carl Junction resident, heard about the Candy House from commercials on television. She decided to visit to buy her nieces some Valentine’s treats. While it was her first visit, she admitted that “I think I’ll be coming back.”

The recent expansion of the Candy House will only add to its already large area of popularity.

Jackie Wooden’s mother lives in Neosho. When Wooden, a Lawrence, Kan., resident comes to visit, she almost always visits the Candy House.

“It’s kind of our [family’s] treat,” Wooden said.

Wooden also said her favorite thing about the shop is the candy is fresh.

“This is a real unique business, since this is a handmade product,” Hicklin said.

Richardson’s Candy House is located two miles south of I-44 on Highway 86. The shop is open 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12:30-5:30 p.m. on Sunday.