1904 – 1994
Esther Price was the founder of Esther Price Candies of Dayton. She started making candy in 1926 to help make ends meet during the Depression. She began by selling fudge to her co-workers at Rikes and then expanded to nearby businesses. She moved on to selling the candy from her porch on Fauver Avenue. Eventually, she purchased two Victorian homes on Wayne Avenue and moved the business there. In the early days she tasted and adjusted every batch herself, frequently working 18 hour days to ensure quality. At times, she struggled with the challenges of being a woman in a man’s world. For instance, a number of banks refused to loan her money. However, she persevered and became one of Dayton’s first successful businesswomen. Today her name is synonymous with candy and her business has been serving the region for nearly a century. At the age of 87, she wrote her autobiography entitled Chocolate Covered Cherries: Esther Price’s Memoirs.