157 years ago, in 1860, English immigrant William Loft opened a candy store in Lower Manhattan and his two sons followed in his footsteps, taking charge of the company in the 1890s. One son, George Loft, soon opened two more stores, and then added more as he moved production out of the family kitchen into a series of increasingly large factories in a location in Long Island City.
By the 1920s, the Loft Candy Company was the largest maker and seller of candy in the world.
In 1941, when Loft’s candy operations were spun off from the new Pepsi-Cola Corporation, it attracted the attention of Philadelphia magnate Albert M. Greenfield, whose City Stores Company expanded the business. By 1958, Loft’s was spread along the eastern seaboard and in the Midwest with about 2,100 employees.
88 Nassau Street
This location at 88 Nassau street was recently uncovered and appears to be making way for a Pizzeria and Bar with a rooftop deck called Two Boots Fidi. So it goes.