A candy store with an ‘outline’ opens in Hadley

HADLEY — From Warhead Sour Tongue Rollers to Toxic Waste Slime Lickers, and more traditional Airheads and Sour Patch Kids, canisters lining shelves at Outline Sour Candy feature dozens of kinds of tangy confectioneries.

On the nearby counter inside the new Route 9 store in Hadley, cameras hung from the ceiling point at three scales where the candies are weighed by the gram, giving even the smallest children the opportunity to watch as Gummi Bears, Jellie Bellies and assorted other sours are packaged for sale.

“Some of it is less sour than others, some of it is more sour,” says owner Joseph Morrison.

With rainbow-colored signs listing the 98 different sour candies, but likely many more available, Morrison, of Springfield, says he wants people to have an experience like no other store offers.

This includes having signs explaining how grams convert to ounces and various inspirational advice.

“We’re the only candy store trying to educate the customer,” Morrison said. “It’s important to post up some of the things that have helped me move forward in life.”

For Morrison, launching the store at the 103 Russell St. site, which shares a small plaza with Primo’s Pizzera, is as much about creating a business as it is about tracing, or providing an outline, of the life of his son, Tyeri, and giving visibility to both contemporaries and past generations who influenced him to become an accomplished dancer.

“We’re trying to awaken everyone to who Ty is,” Morrison said.

At the grand opening in late March, following a soft opening last December, Tyeri Morrison visited from Harlem to greet customers and sharing his belief that there is “no ceiling, no limit.”

“That’s him, that’s how he thinks,” his father said. “He knows it will take a lot of work (for me) to keep it going.”

Morrison grew up dividing time between Amherst, Brockton and other communities, and spent time in Hadley, including picking cucumbers at a local farm as a teenager.

“I like the area here and for years have been attempting to get a storefront,” Morrison said. “The owner here gave me a fair opportunity.”

He understands that it won’t be easy to succeed in what was previously a beer and wine store.

The idea for the candy store came from an acquaintance who made dinner candy. While picking his brain, Morrison learned that his only regret was not having a place to sell sour candy. “I thought I have to incorporate that, too,” Morrison said.

Morrison also speaks fondly of Peter Grandonico of Lincoln Realty, who owns a nearby property. “His guidance, his mentorship, and the way he has been a friend and advisor throughout the years, there is no equal to his generosity,” Morrison said.

Morrison has met many people in the region, including some from working at Ralph’s Blacksmith Shop in Northampton for four years after completing a prison sentence, overseeing pontoon boats on the Connecticut River, running Airbnbs in Springfield, managing selfie stations at regional events, and still serving as a personal care attendant for his mother 50 hours each week. He is trying to pay this back by working with local companies, he observed that the signs were made by Paradise Copies.

Morrison said his children, including his youngest whom he drives to school and another who works at a local Wendy’s, were against the name, but that “outline” will become synonymous with candy.

“It’s an outline of Tyeri’s life, his road traveled,” Morrison said. “Pretty soon, though, it will become the name recognized for all kinds of candy.”

Tyeri Morrison started dancing at 5 years old, attending the Gold School of Dance and later the Boston Conservatory.

Portraits of those who influenced, nurtured, and supported him — from friends to his great-grandfather, who served in the Army Regiment during World War I, and Martin Luther King —adorn the walls. So is a signed photograph of boxer Marvin Hagler, which came from when Morrison’s late father served as a disc jockey at his wedding.

There is also an official print of “Sugar Shack,” a painting featured regularly in the 1970s television sitcom “Good Times,” an illustration of the Old North Church, a citation from then Gov. Michael Dukakis and various newspaper clippings.

A refrigerator and a sewing machine are also in place. “This store is basically a lot of memorabilia that’s been with my family for years,” Morrison said.

Words of wisdom from his son are also posted: “The human can stop being a dancer, but the dancer can not stop being a human” and “may we one day forget about the past and only look forward to the future.”

Fitting in with this theme, two large television screens show his son’s skills as a dancer, including footage from a dance he performed at his grandfather’s funeral and on a tour in Serbia.

And then there are some decorations simply to start a conversation, such as the sneakers and cleats affixed to the walls.

The store is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with extended hours to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

“We’re ready for customers,” Morrison said. “We’re here because we’re supposed to be here.”

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