So Good Candies relocates storefront to Kokomo

Mar. 15—A Peru candy shop that makes and sells iconic fudge and other chocolate treats once beloved by Cole Porter has relocated its storefront to Kokomo.

So Good Candies is now operating at 3700 S. Lafountain St. in the Terrace Plaza strip mall. The shop makes and sells the well-known fudge and Gold Brick candy bar popularized by Arnold's Candies and made famous by Porter — a Peru native who is one of America's most celebrated Broadway composers.

Rick Ploss, co-owner of So Good Candies, said the candy shop had outgrown its former location at 25 W. 3rd St. in downtown Peru and wanted to reach a larger customer base. Ploss believes the store can do that in Kokomo.

"Nothing was wrong with the facility we had," Ploss said. "It was a great spot, great location, but we just ran out of room."

In addition to a larger kitchen, the new storefront has a handful of tables, allowing for customers to eat their recently bought candy or slushies in-store, something that was not possible at the business' old location.

What hasn't changed is the sweets offered.

So Good Candies still sells the same handmade chocolates and treats it did when Ploss purchased the original recipes from the last owner of Arnold Candies, including handmade fudge, chocolate bark, creams and Gold Brick candy bars. The shop also sells other nationally known candy, such as Cow Tails and Albanese gummy bears. Pies and other baked goods from Tastefully Indiana are also being sold.

So Good Candies is a revival of the Peru candy shop Arnold's Candies, which first opened in Peru circa 1900. Arnold's pecan fudge named "So Good Fudge" was so loved by Porter that he stockpiled it at his homes in New York, Los Angeles and Paris, where he always served it as dessert during his high-class dinner parties. Arnold's Candies loved Porter's patronage so much they ended up naming their fudge after him.

Arnold's went out of business in the mid-2000s. It wasn't until 2016 when Ploss and his sister bought the business and the original recipes. So Good Candies is now owned by Ploss, his wife Sandy and Greg and Shelley (Ploss) Ostapa.

Ploss told the Tribune he bought the business because he kept hearing from Peru residents that they missed the chocolate. That nostalgia for Arnold's Candies and So Good Candies' commitment to the same 100-year-old recipes made the business thrive in Peru.

Now operating in a new city largely unfamiliar with the famous chocolate, the challenge will be selling chocolate to a city that doesn't have those same nostalgic memories.

"We're just hoping we can do well here in Kokomo," Ploss said. "We think great of the people of Kokomo."

So Good Candies hasn't entirely left Peru. The shop still sells its chocolate at 58 East, a boutique store located at 58 E. Main St., Peru.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.