Abilene – In a small kitchen along the train tracks in Abilene, you’ll find Pam McCombs and her daughter Paatan carrying on a long-standing tradition in the Key City, Candies by Vletas. “We were one of the first businesses,” said Pam. “There was the post office, the bank, a couple of other things, and then we were one of the first businesses ever in town, and we’ve been here ever since.”
Since 1912, these sweet morsels filled with pecans and pralines have been a part of the reason Abilene is known as the Friendly Frontier, as folks have been flocking here for years to get them. “We are still doing the recipes, still making the recipes that are over 100 years old,” said Paatan. “We still do things by hand and it’s a little taste of heaven.”
Pam bought this candy store in 2000 after working with the family that established it all those years ago. “People ask me all the time, ‘How did you get into it?’ I was very blessed,” said Pam. “I say, ‘God sent me there.’ Because I wasn’t looking for a job when Mr. Vletas hired me.”
Back in 1990, Pam cleaned houses for a living and would head to Vletas for a Friday pick me up. There she met Pete Vletas, and the two struck up a sweet friendship. “So Mr. Vletas, I don’t know why, he just took a liking to me,” said Pam. “So I mean, we just became friends, really, and so we started visiting, every time when we would go in there and visit.”
Before Pam knew it, she was helping at the candy shop. “I started packaging the candy and weighing it out and all that kind of stuff,” said Pam. “Then eventually he would let me watch him cook. He would let me oil the pans and all that, but we didn’t have any recipes written down anywhere. None.”
As the years went by, Vletas moved to the old train depot and business started rolling in even faster. Pete was at the end of the line and wanted to sell, but everyone who showed interest wanted to change how Pete’s family had been doing things all those years. “Everybody wanted to mechanize it,” said Pam. “They wanted to bring in machines and do conveyor belts and do like other big companies do. To make our candy, it just wouldn’t be what it was anymore.”
Eventually Pam took a leap of faith. “One day I asked him, ‘Mr. Vletas, would you let me just try to get the business?’” said Pam. “He said ‘It’s too much for you, Pam. It’ll hurt you. It’s too much work.’ I said ‘Well, I can get somebody to help me. Would you just let me try?’ So he said okay. Between the SBA and a personal loan that he did himself, and I lacked one payment having my house paid for, and I mortgaged my home. I bought it. One of the first things I did whenever I bought it was I made it cuter.”
After owning the business for a few months, Pete paid a visit to Pam and paid her some sweet compliments. “Pete told me ‘Pam, the store looks awesome. Why didn’t you do this stuff when I had it?’ I said ‘Mr. Vletas, you wouldn’t let me,’” Said Pam. “I made suggestions the whole time I was working for him. Said, ‘You wouldn’t let me do anything like that.’ And anyway, he said, ‘I am so proud of you.’ And I couldn’t have had a bigger compliment paid to me ever.”
As for the candy itself, there are plenty of options to choose from, and pecan brittle is one of their signatures. “It’s so different from peanut brittle just altogether,” said Paatan. “It’s a different flavor.”
The pecan brittle is a fun twist on a nostalgic treat, and it’s been loved by Vletas customers for decades. “It’s something we’re famous for,” said Pam. “I mean, we’re in Texas, so pecans are a biggie.”
The pecan pralines alone are worth the trip out to Abilene, and Vletas mastered this classic sugary goodie a long time ago. Their technique combined with the fresh pecans they use create a truly delightful experience that you just can’t pass up.
Running this classic shop isn’t something that Pam takes lightly, but it’s a lot easier to give it your all when you love what you do. “When you’re a kid and you think, man, there wouldn’t be anything any better than owning your own candy store,” said Pam. “It’s the truth. I mean, it’s the truth.”
The sweet success Pam’s been able to sustain since she took over has been life changing. “I just prayed that if I can make it work and I can take care of my girls, please let everything fall into place,” said Pam. “And it did. Everything that I needed to do, he either showed me the way, or someone else did and just pointed me in the right direction, and it has done nothing but coast. I mean, it’s just heaven. I mean, it just is.”
Deep down Pam can still feel Pete’s presence at the candy shop and that’s more gratifying than the greatest piece of praline. “I swear I feel his spirit and I know he is a happy camper, because he would’ve never, ever, ever thought that this store would be like this,” said Pam. “He would be so, so proud. So that makes me happy.”