Tanglevine Crossing, a popular gift and candy shop located
in historic Farmland, Indiana, is once again putting the
town on the map with its Farmland Confections line of
homemade candies and desserts. The store now offers
Farmland Confections Gift Boxes in a range of sizes that can
be shipped to customers anywhere—even Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Farmland Confections is just one more way Tanglevine
Crossing owners Larry Francer and Jerome Herron work at
expanding their business in this small, historic town
located in the heart of the Midwest. “To survive in the
current economy, a business has to be creative,” said
Francer. “We’ve decided to expand by making our best kept
secret—our candies and pastries—available everywhere because
we believe their quality rivals some of the world’s top
confections.”
This time the men are using their artistic talents to create
elegant gift boxes containing a varied assortment of
Farmland Confections. Priced from $22 to $85, the boxes
include favorites like almond toffee, salt caramels, cherry
rhubarb pie and pecan pralines. Each item comes with a
handwritten “story.”
Recent months have been hard on many businesses, especially
those in Farmland. That’s because for a year, the main
street—where many of the town’s stores are located—was
closed due to construction. Adding to business owners’
plight were exorbitant gas prices and=2 0the worst economy
since the Depression. Realizing they had to “think outside
the box,” Francer and Herron have continually sought
innovative ways to build additional sources of income—like
crafting wild grapevine creations. Since the shop’s opening
in 1991 the entrepreneurs have pulled vines from the local
woods to weave into a variety of designs ranging from
baskets to human forms that are used as store displays by
upscale stores including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus
and Coach Leather.
In addition, the men have resumed their earlier careers as
actors and performers. Herron frequently works as an actor
and model and is represented by one of Indianapolis’ top
talent agencies. He has appeared in a Star Financial Bank
television spot and one of Carl Brizzi’s popular campaign
ads.
Francer fulfills rabbinic duties for Temple Sinai in Marion,
Indiana and is a member of INDYKLEZ, Indiana’s premier
klezmer band that performs throughout the region.
