Margaret Burnham Cottage Candies was a Bay Area chain of candy stores, started in 1922. It's best remembered in Oakland by the Cape Cod-style building on Telegraph that was later Hooper's Chocolate, which opened in 1930. 1
George P. Ballachey claims to have founded it in 1925, 1 but that's when he purchased the chain. Directory listings for Margaret Burnham as a confectioner appear in 1922, 3 as well as classified ads. 4
There were outlets in Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, San Francisco and Reno, Nevada, but the candy was processed in Oakland.
Ballachey built the cottage to showcase the company's products, and visitors could watch the candy being made.
The builders were Vogt & Davidson, Ltd., of San Francisco. Other contractors included California Electric (579 - 18th Street), Bay City Cabinet (1076 - 5th Street), The Scott Co. Plumbing and Heating (113 - 10th Street), and E. E. Elliott (installed the CREO-DIPT shake roof; 2 3687 Green Acre). 1
Congratulations came from other companies including J. E. French Co. (Dodge trucks), National Nut Co. (1st Street and Franklin), United Paper Box Co. (San Francisco), Boldemann Chocolate Co. (San Francisco), Galland Mercantile Laundry (San Francisco), United American Soda Fountain Company, Yosemite Portland Cement Co., Pacific Freight Lines (1640 - 8th Street), Fenton's Creamery (4099 Howe Street) and the Continental Casualty Co. (Central Bank Building).
Links and References
- Newest Eastbay 'Candy Kitchen' Ready Oakland Tribune November 14, 1930
- Creo-dipt Shingles and Stains on Internet Archive
- Margaret Burnham's cute cottages full of sweetness Oakland Heritage Alliance News Fall/Winter 2020
- classified ad Oakland Tribune April 8, 1922
- ohrphoto.dpoa10.043 Oakland History Center, Oakland Public Library