MY favorite candy is licorice. All kinds- especially black. When I was a kid, at both ends of the street from my Grandmother's house in Ashley, PA were penny candy stores. One was better- Covell's where Helen, the gray haired lady- patient as a saint- would slide the door to the back of the gigantic penny candy display cabinet and wait for my order that would change every second. I'll take two red hots coins, two banana taffy, three black, two green,  one red and yellow licorice laces; can I change my mind- I'll take a sugar daddy instead of the red coins, and it would go on and on.... Then, with my quarter spent and my bag filled with licorice laces- all colors and my other candy jiggling in the bottom of the bag , I'd push the big sceen door and leave, waving goodbye with licorice hanging out of my mouth. This was to last me two weeks..................and usually the other candy did but the licorice was eaten right away. 

 Covell's was a magical place, and Helen was an angel. It took five seconds to get there- no cars- no traffic to worry about. A square white building, with a big glass front window and a sign over the door," Covell's." The big screen door would slam, and you'd enter candyland and now as I look back a place where time stood still. Long neck sodas-  pineapple, grapefruit, and cherry were five cents, taken from an old cooler with no top so a kid could reach them. Big candy display to the right of the front door, solid mahogany case with broad curved glass in the front and sliding doors in the back. Maybe four shelves- filled with every possible candy you could dream of or want- wax bottles, wax teeth, dots, candy cigarettes, black crows, Necco wafers, Bonamo taffy- banana, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate came in a pack of three, nibs, sugar babies, chunkies, laces of licorice- apple, pineapple, grape, black, strawberry- coins, red hots, mike and ike's, pixie sticks, candy necklaces, pez, goobers- even gum was a penny. Not only did Covell's have candy but he was my Grandmother's butcher, and grocer and would deliver all her food to her. He had the best meats along with cold cuts that were wrapped in heavy white shiny paper to perfection and fruit, laundry detergent, cereal and all the essential items but the store was not in any shape or form- large, but seemed enormous to me. Mr Covell did not make a bundle on his penny candy items but he sure made alot of good friends and memories- saw dust floor, smell of hardwoods, old cardboard and candy- plus Helen was my friend.

Thanks Mr Covell for all the memories..

Still, since I was seven, I've given up licorice for lent, as it my passion- and by the way, have, never cheated.

I've tried all kinds of licorice- Australian, Dutch, English, don't have a favorite, but love them all

If you know some good licorice stories write me and tell me      trishfrisbie@gmail.com