Parrot Confectionary, Helena, Montana

 

This contribution was written for the Spring 2008 Introduction to Public History Class at Carroll College, Helena, Montana

 

Contributed by Mac Kirk, May 2008

 

 

The Parrot Confectionary Endnotes Bibliography

 

 

The Parrot Confectionary

 

The Parrot Confectionery is one of the oldest candy stores left in Montana.  It has been around for more than eighty-five years and during that time, it is has seen the people, the economy, and everyday life change throughout the twentieth century.  The information within this paper came directly from the co-owner of the Parrot, who has been a part of the store since he was just a boy. Now the current owner, Dave Duensing recollected the days of his youth when he used to visit the Parrot when the original owners still had the store.  During the oral interview, Dave expounded upon the history of the Parrot and what he believes is its key to success.  He knew everything about the Parrot from the day it began in 1922 when W. R. Post took over the store, to the days when his father owned the store, and finally to the present time of his and his brothers' reign over the success of the Parrot.

 

The little confectionery in Helena, Montana began as Helena Drug Co. Fountain and Confectionery Department in the early 1910's by Mr. Charles A. Whitman.  At first, the store was known for its fountain drinks.  In several letters written to Whitman by friends and customers, he was said to be a "first class soda man."[1] In fact, he had gained a reputation as the "head soda dispenser" throughout Montana.[2]  Just like the little mining town of Helena where the Parrot is located, business at the confectionery was beginning to boom. In fact, Whitman needed to move his store to a larger, more accessible location in town.  So he moved a few blocks away to 137 North Main Street in downtown Helena.  With the move to a better location, Whitman needed a partner help the store prosper even more.  While moving in 1917, Whitman teamed up with A. T. Wallace, a well known candy maker in the new state of Montana.

 

After much success downtown with his fountain drinks and Wallace's candy making skills, the future Parrot moved again to 22 North Main Street in 1920.  Whitman had built a very successful reputation for his store.  Only two years later, he moved to California for reasons unknown but one might speculate he moved for a chance at greater success with his fountain and confectionery business.  As a result of his move, Whitman and Wallace sold their little store in 1922 to Mr. W.R. Post.  William Post had his work cut out for him if, as the new owner of the Parrot, he was to keep the business a success.

 

Post bought the store and immediately changed the name from the Helena Drug Co. Fountain and Confectionery Department to the current name, The Parrot Confectionery.[3]  The times were tough for the Post family at first.  They needed to learn how to manage a store that would attract customers because of its fine candy, fountain drinks, and food and, in addition, they needed to learn to cope with the economic issues of that time. The Great Depression had hit the United States and Helena, Montana was not excluded from its devastating effects.  For most people and businesses in the United States, the times were very tough.  But for the Parrot, times were at a high.  David remembers the Depression as a time of success for the Posts' and the Parrot because “during tough times, some of the only things that made the hurting or pain go away was a little liquor and candy.”[4]  Whenever someone would earn a buck or two during the Great Depression, they would use whatever spare change they had to go buy some chocolate from the Parrot.  Dave said, “That it used to ease the troubles people faced and it was cheaper and safer than liquor, especially because liquor, during that time, was banned through prohibition.”[5]

 

After the Great Depression, World War II sprang up.  According to Dave, this was another time of financial success for the Parrot and its owners.  During the length of WWII, people would buy candy to make them feel better, like they did during the Great Depression.  Customers would stroll in to the Parrot and gorge themselves with chocolates because they wanted to feel better about what was going on in their lives between the war, work, and the trials of everyday life.  During WWII everyone was doing whatever they could to help the cause across the seas.  The effect on business at the Parrot leaned towards the positive side. People wanted candy but it wasn't always available.  They had to ration their food.  The Parrot did this by rationing sugar.  When a shipment would come in, the Posts' would make as much candy as they possibly could.  When the sugar ran out and the Parrot sold out of candy, there was no more of the sweet confections to sell until the next shipment of sugar would come in.[6] When the store had enough supplies to make and sell candy, they were very prosperous indeed!  During this twenty year period between the Great Depression and WWII, when many other businesses in the community failed, the Parrot was able to prosper and to become even more successful than before.

 

The Parrot remained at 22 North Main Street for the next 13 years. During that time, the structure of the building where the Parrot was located, changed a few times. The first change was due to the fire in 1928.  The fire was one of many to hit downtown in the early nineteenth century.  The fire that affected the Parrot mainly hit the Bailey Block, where the Parrot was located, before that fire was contained.  Some of Bailey Block was saved, but it was in desperate need of rehabilitation.  A man by the name of Napolean Lalonde bought the block after the fire and rebuilt the buildings on the old Bailey Block.[7]  After a few more years at 22 North Main Street, the Parrot, in 1935, moved to its final place a block away at 42 North Main Street.  The building they moved into was called the Lalonde building.  The two-story commercial building was home to the successful confectionery for the next eighty years. Although the fire in 1928 and the move down the street caused a minor set back for the Parrot, business soon began to grow and prosper once again for the Parrot.  It didn't take long before the Parrot was back on track.

 

In the late fifties, William Post and his wife Ianthe were getting too old to run the Parrot and wanted to sell the store.  In 1957 they sold it to Arnold and Nancy Duensing.  The Duensings' didn't have enough money or experience to own the Parrot right away, so the Posts helped them get on their feet through both financial help and assistance with the cooking and creation of their well known sweets.[8]  Even though Arnold was an experienced chef and the Duensings owned a bakery down the street, making a good candy takes great skill that comes from years of experience.[9]  William took Arnold under his wing and taught him how to create the best candy in Montana.  The Posts liked the Duensings and trusted them with the success of the Parrot.  So the Posts helped finance the Parrot for the Duensings in the beginning as long as the Duensings would help with the Post's retirement.[10]  After a couple years, with the Post's help, the Duensings' were on their own.

 

After the Great Depression and WWII, the Parrot became a well known congregation spot in Helena.  People enjoyed meeting at the Parrot during this time until   the sixties and seventies when the latest technology changed the way people socialized. Dave, in his interview, mentioned “that people back then didn't have the same technology that they have now.  People would go downtown in the evenings to watch newsreels, movies, and go to dances.  When the movies, dances, social events, or sporting events would get over, everyone would head over to the Parrot until it closed at midnight.  The Parrot was a place of social gathering and everyone would meet there to make later plans or hang out with their friends and family members.”[11]  Students from Helena High and Helena Central would meet their friends after school and enjoy some soda, candy, or ice cream. The most popular advances in technology, cell phones and text messaging, have changed that.  Now the students and late night customers all have cell phones. With this instant communication, they don't need to have a mutual meeting place to discuss their plans before they go out or after they've been out.  With new technology, sources of entertainment have also changed.  A gathering place like the Parrot could have become obsolete as technology advanced and changed the forms of entertainment. People visit video stores and rent movies to take home instead of attending the movies and then meeting at a place like the Parrot afterwards. This has had an effect on the numbers of customers walking through the doors of the Parrot. But fortunately for the Parrot, the customers they had when the Parrot was a congregation point for all high school students in the fifties and sixties have come back with their kids and grandkids.  These customers loved the quality of the Parrot's food, so they continually come back with friends and family.[12]  This is the Parrot's second best source of money, the customers from fifty years ago, who, because of sentimental reasons, frequent the Parrot.  

 

About 30 years ago, Helena experienced many changes in their downtown area. Urban renewal swept through downtown Helena in the mid seventies resulting in one of the slowest periods of time for business at the Parrot. With urban renewal, came the walking mall that hurt every business that was originally on Last Chance Gulch.  The urban renewal took out the street in front of the Parrot, replacing it with a walking mall for all the pedestrians.  In his interview, David expressed his extreme dismay over the walking mall.  He was one of the co-owners at the time the street was replaced with the walking mall and he said that because of the walking mall, the Parrot lost large amounts of business.  Now there are only two stores, the Parrot and the Rialto Bar, that are still there after the walking mall was put in.[13] This was because all of the stores were hit hard financially, so they either had to relocate to traffic oriented areas or they just went out of business.  The reason the walking mall was so unsuccessful was because it took away vehicular traffic and replaced it with only foot traffic.[14]  Before the walking mall, there was both vehicular and foot traffic, which brought in twice the business. Now with the walking mall in place of the original street, pedestrians are the only ones who can reach the Parrot; taking away a large portion of business for the Parrot and all the other businesses located on the walking mall.  Dave stated that “the Parrot's business was affected so much that they had to close down a section of the booths inside.”[15]  Their foot traffic was down... no one was coming into the Parrot. David and his brother Stanley had to figure out how to get the Parrot back on the map.  Advertisement was rarely used when the Posts owned the Parrot, but the two brothers were desperate!  They decided to make brochures and put advertisements in newspapers and other local papers.  Unfortunately this still did not increase the numbers of people that they needed walking into their store.  However, through perseverance, tenacity and creativity, they were able to not only survive these changes but, soon, they were to experience success!  How? 

 

The Duensing brothers put together a mail order service that proved to be the most effective method of getting their business back on track.  It was so effective that they now send candy across the United States as well as across the world.  Some of the Parrot's mail orders come from as far away as New Zealand, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands.[16] The mail order business is, at present, their biggest financial resource and it has made their candy famous in all parts of the world!  Most of the Parrot's mail orders come from tourists who have stopped by in passing and enjoyed their candy so much that they order it from half way across the world.[17]  Lifelong customers of the Parrot can now buy candy for holidays or special occasions and share the Parrots high-quality candy with their friends and family all over the world.  With the mail orders, the Parrot has expanded their already spectacular reputation.  When the times were looking grim for the Parrot, the business pulled through and grew more than it ever had expected.  Because they have a good price for their candies, a great product, and a lack of competition, the Parrot was able to advertise and sell through the mail order business.  Because they no longer have to depend on the number of people who walk through their doors, they have found a way that they could not only stay open, but be able to make a good profit. 

 

The Parrot is a busy candy store year round, but business and work are at their most hectic from the beginning of September to the end of April.  The store begins making candy several months in advance because during the winter and spring they get swamped with mail orders.  With Christmas, Easter, and Valentines Day being their three biggest seasons in such a close time, they need to make their candy in advance.  They begin making candy for their busiest time of the year, Christmas, in September and continue making their candy all the way through Easter, their second biggest season of the year.[18]  After Easter, all the workers at the Parrot get to relax for the summer because it is their slower season, but they start right back up when September hits to prepare for the upcoming Christmas.

 

Even though the Parrot's specialty is candy, they make an assortment of other treats and foods.  Dave went on to explain the Parrots treats by saying, “Some of the other treats they make are their own ice creams, toppings, chili, and sodas.”[19]  All of their treats are made completely from scratch.  The ice cream they make from scratch is vanilla, chocolate, a special, and a fruity sorbet.  Some of the toppings that the Parrot comes out with are marshmallow, caramel, chocolate, fudge, and several more.  The sodas are made from any kind of syrup desired except coca-cola.  The sodas are made specially by adding the syrup to bland soda, creating a sweet beverage that everyone loves almost as much as the candy.  Lastly, the Parrot serves chili for lunch.  The recipe they use is the original recipe from 1922.[20]  Like the chili, most of the treats or candies are the same or slightly different receipts as when the Posts opened the Parrot in 1922.  The candies that seem to always be running low at the Parrot are the Parrots (similar to Turtles), Mint Supremes, Milk Chocolate Caramels, and Almond Butter Toffee (Almond Roca).[21]  These four candies are just a few of the favorite candies that come from a variety of 130 different candies in the store.   That is proof to the quality and same great taste of the treats the Parrot has been making for the past eighty years.

 

One of the greatest setbacks that the Parrot has had occurred only a few years ago.  Hepatitis C hit the Parrot.  It was discovered that Stanley accidentally brought it to the Parrot after he returned from a vacation with his family.  When it was discovered, they immediately closed the store and talked to the city’s health department about Hepatitis C in the Parrot.  After closing, they had an interview with the local news channel and news paper, and told them exactly what was going on and if anyone had recently been in the store, what they needed to do to insure their health.[22]  The Parrot threw out all products in the store.  After everything was cleaned and disinfected, the store was opened and business was fine.  Dave believes “that this episode didn't hurt the business too badly because they were upfront with the customers about the issue and they didn't hide anything from the customers.”[23]  The Hepatitis C hurt financially for the Parrot in the short-term, but Dave also believes that because of their honest approach, the customers came back to show support for their local candy store. 

 

David and Stanley took over the Parrot after they bought it from their mother, who ran the business after her husband Arnold passed away in 1974.  Dave has been working there for thirty years and his brother has worked there for 37 years.[24]  Since both brothers are co-owners, they know how to make candy to perfection along with working at any position in the store.  Dave stressed that the success that came from the Parrot in the past eighty-five years is due to the fact that they make a good product and the product doesn't change.  It tastes as good as it did forty years ago because they always have used the highest quality ingredients and never cheapen it.  Another reason for the success is because of the great customer relations that the people working at the Parrot have created in the past eighty years.

 

How successful is the Parrot today, eighty years after it first opened its door?  The numbers say it all.    Everyday the Parrot goes through 100 pounds of sugar and sells at least eighty different kinds of candy a day.[25]  In a year, they go through nine to ten tons of chocolate and that same amount for sugar.[26]  These simple numbers show how successful the Parrot is after being through eighty years of business.  What about the future of Helena's oldest confectionary? The Parrot has faced a lot of adversity in its years in business and has always found a way to not only survive but to attain greater success. Dave believes “that if the Parrot continues to make a great product and sell it at a good price, business shouldn't be ending anywhere in the near future.”[27]

 

 

Endnotes

[1] Vertical files, Montana Historical Society. “Charles Whitman.” Accessed March 10, 2008.

[2] Ibid

[3] Whitman, Charles A. “Charles A. Whitman Papers 1901-1934.” The Montana Shared Catalog Montana Historical Society Research Center. Accessed March 11, 2008.

[4] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

[7] Juisto, Chere. Downtown Helena Historical Survey, Historical and Architectural Inventory. Lalonde Building. May 1989.

[8] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[9] Ibid

[10] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[11] Ibid

[12] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[13] Ibid

[14] Ibid

[15] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[16] Sean Day, “Three Elephants and the Parrot.” Helena Independent Record. February 2, 2007.

[17] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[18] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[19]  Ibid.

[20] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[21] Sean Day, “Three Elephants and the Parrot.” Helena Independent Record. February 2, 2007.

[22] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[23] Ibid

[24] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

[25] Martin J. Kidston, “Candy man’s family business a favorite fixture in Helena.” Helena Independent Record. February 24, 2003.

[26] Sean Day, “Three Elephants and the Parrot.” Helena Independent Record. February 2, 2007.

[27] Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.

 

 

 

Bibliography

• Duensing, David. April 12, 2008. Interview. The Parrot Confectionery.
• Juisto, Chere. Downtown Helena Historical Survey, Historical and Architectural Inventory. Lalonde Building. May 1989.
• Martin J. Kidston, “Candy man’s family business a favorite fixture in Helena.” Helena Independent Record. February 24, 2003.
• Sean Day, “Three Elephants and the Parrot.” Helena Independent Record. February 2, 2007.
• Vertical files, Montana Historical Society. “Charles Whitman.” Accessed March 10, 2008.
• Whitman, Charles A. “Charles A. Whitman Papers 1901-1934.” The Montana Shared Catalog Montana Historical Society Research Center. Accessed March 11, 2008.

 

 

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