As an artist gifted in hand-blown glass and iron work, Stan O’Neil is seen as a visionary.
But as a business owner, his focus is clearly on the past.
Stan and wife Shannon have remade the historic two-story Hotel Planter building on South First Street — but not with an eye toward modernization. Instead, they’ve turned the page back to yesteryear with their ground floor old-time candy store and soda parlor accented by antique décor, period signs and photos, and vintage furnishings.
O’Neil’s Confectionery & Soda Fountain offers patrons the chance to step off a time machine to enjoy generational favorites like pizza, hot dogs, fudge, and ice cream in a setting right out of Mayberry and Happy Days.
“It’s pretty cool having an old-time candy store and soda fountain here,” said Luke Wingard, an employee of Mavrik Marine, who dropped in to pick up some brisket for lunch.
Through the years, Stan has been attracted to a variety of classic collectibles, including but not limited to bubble gum dispensers, jukeboxes, and slot machines.
“I’ve always had an interest in history,” said Stan, who has been an avid collector for over 35 years and at one point did restoration work for the late Jack Wilkins of Nasty Jack’s Antiques fame.
When you step into O’Neil’s Confectionery & Soda Fountain you may feel like you have stepped back in time. The inviting interior is a nod to days gone by when a trip to the sweets shop was a special day. Photos by Nancy Crowell/La Conner Community News
Born in Renton, Stan grew up in Anacortes and served a stint in the U.S. Army. He also worked locally at the Lighthouse and Farmhouse inns. In his early 20s, he was doing custom autobody work in Mount Vernon, an entrepreneurial spirit growing within him.
“I’ve owned businesses since I was 23,” he said, while peering at data on a computer screen — one of the museum-like shop’s rare contemporary fixtures.
The O’Neils have picked up where the landmark Hotel Planter’s former owners, Don and Cynthia Hoskins, left off.
The Hoskins’ operated the Earthenworks Gallery there and in the late 1980s began restoring the aging building. It was a major facelift that breathed new life into what had previously been a cozy hometown inn and popular café.
When the Hoskins’ retired two years ago, the O’Neils stepped in to write a new chapter in the storied lore of the Hotel Planter.
“It was built in 1907, and we want to bring back that historic era,” Stan said. “We’re trying to make it like the turn of the century.”
The O’Neils’ shop is filled with a bevy of items seemingly frozen in time, foremost among them a soda fountain built in Arkansas when Theodore Roosevelt was president.
Browsing the sales floor, one finds tin chocolate molds, glass candy jars, and milkshake makers from bygone times.
Upstairs, in the hotel, the O’Neils have furnished rooms with historic bed frames and furniture. Victorian era Eastlake beds, especially popular in the 1890s, are prominent.
“People all over know I’m always looking for stuff,” said Stan, “so they’ll contact me when they come across something. I’m always adding pieces.”
Stan also strives to add to his knowledge of the building, where during the heyday of the Planter Inn Café, the legendary Olga Fahlen served hearty breakfasts and local fishers and farmers rolled dice for coffee.
“There was a guy who worked at Town Hall a few years ago,” Stan reflected, “who told me they had a rack at the front of the café where guys could put their guns when they came in from hunting.”
Back to the here and now, Stan provides space at the building’s entry for posters and pamphlets promoting events and programs throughout the La Conner area.
O’Neil’s Confectionery & Soda Fountain is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 713 1st St., La Conner, WA 98257
