Come Sit at the Counter
Visit & Contact · The Front Counter, Dayton, Ohio
The Story Behind the Marble Slab
In the autumn of 1954, Ruth and Earl Beaumont signed a lease on a narrow storefront at 214 East Third Street with exactly three assets: a copper kettle from a shuttered pharmacy in Cincinnati, a slab of Vermont marble left over from a bank renovation, and a hand-lettered sign reading CANDY, MADE THE SLOW WAY.
Within a year, the ten counter stools were full by 4:00 on Saturdays. The butter rum cream — then called "counter butters" — became the dish every family walked home with. Earl ran the kettle; Ruth ran the register and the wax-paper twist. Their daughter Marianne, now eighty-one, still stops by most Fridays "just to check the pull."
Today the parlor is run by the second and third generations of that same family, with the same nine-pound kettle, the same slab, and a strictly enforced rule that no batch leaves unless the person who made it has personally tasted it warm.
How to Reach Us
The Marbletop Candy Parlor214 East Third Street
Dayton, Ohio 45402
Telephone: (937) 555-0164
Email: marbletopcandyparlor@gmail.com
Write to us about keepsake gift tins, tasting boxes, care package treats, wholesale for specialty gift shops, or the legendary "should I bring this to my sister's retirement?" question. A human reads and answers every message — usually within one business day.
Hours at the Counter
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Monday: Kettle Rest Day (the marble slab gets waxed)
Kettle pours: Tuesdays and Fridays at 4:00 PM — visitors are welcome to watch the pull from the counter stools.
Parking & the Neighborhood
Free two-hour street parking lines East Third, with a public lot one block north on St. Clair. The nearest bus stop is Third & St. Clair, four doors down. If you're visiting from out of town, make a day of it: the Oregon District's antique row is a three-block stroll, and the parlor knows where to point you for a proper phosphate soda after your tin is wrapped.
Sending a Keepsake
Can't make it down the pike? Compose a keepsake in our Gift Tin Builder, then write to marbletopcandyparlor@gmail.com with your tin selection and recipient's address. We'll build it, wrap it in twine and wax tissue, and send it on its way.
