Sweet perfection
Childhood dreams came true today for some of the Artpace staff and IAIR 12.1 resident Adam Pendleton, when we were generously welcomed behind the scenes of the recently closed Judson-Atkinson Candies by the factory’s President Amy Atkinson Voltz.
What was initially a research visit for an upcoming residency project became a luscious tour of the candy factory’s fascinating 113-year history. Although the business was moved in the 1980s from its original location (now the Judson Candy Lofts) in downtown San Antonio, its current location in Lufkin still carries the spirit, pride, and photo albums of old-fashioned candy making. Throughout the enormous factory are the same beautiful stainless barrels used to color coat jelly beans, countless molds for gummy candies, and the colossal candy-generating machine that the factory was built around. While we’ve bid farewell to Judson-Atkinson Candies in San Antonio, we are reassured that their hard candy sister factory in Lufkin is thriving.
Image credits: Photos by Amy Austin
Amy Austin
Amy spends her free time watching foreign films, cooking, and reading her new favorite magazine, The Gentlewoman. She loves red wine, white cotton sheets, textured hosiery, the hammock on her balcony, her cats Henning and Waffle, and Haribo red licorice wheels. Amy will not openly admit, however, that she finds happiness in frequent visits to the Sanrio store.