One of the fondest remembrances of days past is the corner candy store. Neighborhood children would bike to the shop, pore over the goodies and fog up the display case before parting with their pennies. They would then be seen happily chomping away, their mouths filled with Mary Janes, bull’s-eyes, Lik-a-maid, Turkish taffy, Swedish fish, Chuckles, Boston Baked Beans, Pez and sometimes sporting a pair of wax lips.

One lucky kid who grew up in La Grange had a grandfather who owned such a store. On weekends, Gina Morello would visit her grandfather at his corner store on Waiola and Ogden avenues.

“I had such a different perspective than other kids about the corner store — I could run in, shout hello to my grandpa and go behind the counter and pick whatever I wanted,” Morello said with a smile in her voice.

Morello’s grandfather Hank owned the store from 1937 until 1975. The family (including Gina’s father) lived in an apartment behind the store until the third baby came along. They then purchased a house right down the block on Waiola. Morello’s grandmother, Ann, still lives in that house.

The store also sold groceries and school supplies. The neighborhood kids would pick up pencils and paper before heading to Ogden Avenue or St. Francis elementary schools.

In 1975, Hank sold the store and it was renamed “Kelly’s Deli.” Once again, it was a mainstay in the neighborhood for kids, but also a popular lunch spot with sandwiches for the teachers and contractors working in the area. People raved about the sandwiches at Kelly’s Deli.

In 1985, the store changed ownership to “Aunt Betty.” Keeping the basics intact, Betty also added a new dimension: cakes. Once you had a cake made by Aunt Betty, you would never go to another bakery. Her reputation grew locally, and her cakes graced many baptisms, birthdays and weddings.

When the store came up for sale again in 1993, Gina was ready to begin a new business venture. She bought the store in winter 1993, renamed it “My Grampa’s Store” and a new chapter began.

“My grandpa died the next summer, but he was able to see the store return to the family,” Morello said. “There are so many people who grew up here and come into the store and talk about how they used to come in here. Many remember Grandpa and end up going over to the house to say, ‘Hi,’ to Grandma.”

Since she received so many requests for cakes from Aunt Betty’s customers, Gina honed her baking skills and incorporated cakes into her repertoire. Gina took some classes at Wilton School of Cake Decorating. She excelled at decorating, and the classes boosted her confidence.

I recently saw a beautiful pumpkin cake at the Red Sled Bazaar at Ogden Avenue School. I asked if it was a real cake, it was so perfect. It was a real cake, and the baker was none other than Gina Morello.

Morello’s cake designs range from standard sheet cakes to custom works for customers. She recently made a life-size guitar cake for a birthday. She has taken photos and based decorations based on them.

Morello does cupcakes. Her bouquets have flowers of iced cupcakes that look like the real thing.
And for before dessert, Morello does cold and hot catering. She makes the lunches every day for Creative World in La Grange.

Morello and her four young boys are carrying on a family tradition by running My Grampa’s Store. The store and the family still help make up the fabric of our neighborhood and provide the neighborhood kids the opportunity to press their noses against the glass, trying to decide what candy to buy.

For information, visit www.grampasstore.com or call (708) 354-2717.