The arrival of Easter in Tacoma can be traced to the sight of hand-rolled chocolate eggs and molded bunnies lining the cases at Johnson Candy Co.
The family business debuted in 1925, when Russell Johnson started selling chocolates he made with vintage molds at his parents’ shop, Olympic Dairy. What began as a soda and ice-cream shop slowly shifted toward candy making. By 1927, Russell and his wife, Irene, purchased the business and turned it into a lunch counter known for sweets made from recipes Russell bought from an old candy maker.
In 1949, the shop, committed to exclusively selling candy, moved into a custom building designed by architect Silas Nelson. It’s remained there ever since…