Guerilla Celebrity Endorsement #1

August 13, 2008

We didn’t pay Patton Oswalt, the funniest man alive, to endorse our products. We didn’t even ask him. He was just extremely tired after doing a long weekend of comedy shows in San Francisco, so we stuck a lollipop in his hand and snapped a photo. Thanks, Patton, we love you.

We should mention that he did express a keen interest in candy, and in particular inquired after the fabled Marathon bar, one of Brian’s favorite childhood candy bars as well (second only to the great Reggie Bar, also lost to history). Unfortunately, we had to be the ones to break the news to Patton that the Marathon bar had been discontinued long ago. Sad, I know - but fear not, lovers of chocolate-covered braided caramel:  the Curly Wurly bar, made in the UK by Cadbury, is a close cousin and is still in production.

Filed under: Friends and Fans | Comments (1)

Marshmallow memories

August 13, 2008

What comes to mind when you see marshmallows?  For me, it’s one of two things: being in the kitchen with my mom and grandma making rice krispy treats, or roasting marshmallows over the campfire.  Either way, they bring back fond memories of childhood.

I realized as an adult, I was no longer drawn to marshmallows unless they were in rice krispy form.  That is, until I tried these amazing handmade ones from Bon Bon Bar, a small confectioner from Los Angeles.

At The Candy Store we carry two flavors: vanilla bean and passion fruit.   Diane, being a marshmallow gal, knew she struck gold after her first bite.  They’re soft, fluffy and oh-so-delicious.

Stop by and pick up a pack in your favorite flavor or ask for a sample.  You can still take them camping with you (think gourmet smores), drop a few in your hot chocolate or coffee, or simply eat them straight from the bag.

Marshmallow fans, we have a prediction for you:  you will fall madly in love with these marshmallows and will never look back.

- Liana

Filed under: Products | Comments (0)

The Candy Store: Current Love

August 6, 2008

It is no secret that at The Candy Store we really enjoy our products. While we have many favorites at the shop, tastes change and other sweets make their debut. It is always exciting to discover something new and tasty, so we thought it might be fun to share our current loves with you every now and then.

One of the newest additions to The Candy Store comes in a little copper-colored box. The lid is clear allowing you to peek in on the beauty that lies carefully packaged inside. If you are already a fan of the caramel pretzels, this is their sibling and is crafted by the same amazing company. Each box contains eight handmade caramels covered in chocolate (4 milk and 4 dark) and sprinkled with 4 different types of salt, including Australian, French, Mediterranean, and Hawaiian sea salt. Can you say “YUM”?! Oh, how we are obsessed!

I am partial to the one topped with Hawaiian sea salt, as it reminds me of home.

– Liana

Filed under: Products | Comments (1)

Fan Profile #2

July 27, 2008

Name: Jack Caldwell, Age 10 1/2

Hometown: Portland, OR

Purchased: Super cola bottles, jawbreakers, wonka bar, cowtales, now & later’s and a gold coin.

Q: What did you think when you first walked into our store?

A: This is crazy - in a good way.  I could spend hours in here. 

Q: Favorite candy?

A: Anything but black licorice.

Q: When will you be back at the store again?

A: My next summer vacation!

Filed under: Friends and Fans | Comments (9)

Fan Profile #1

July 27, 2008

Name: Jonathan Harriman, Age 26

Born: New Jersey

Q: When you walked into our store for the first time, how did you feel?

A: Dumbfounded, awe-inspired, sparkly and warm and fuzzy.

Q: Favorite childhood candy?

A: Sour gummi worms.

Q: Favorite candy of the moment?

A: Cinnamon bears, white chocolate non-pareils, fleur de sel caramels and violet candies.

Q: When will you be back again?

A: Tuesday.

Filed under: Friends and Fans | Comments (1)

The Candy Store Fan Club

July 27, 2008

Some of our customers told us they want to start a candy store fan club, so from time to time, we’ll be profiling them here.  Our customers are the best and their enthusiasm for our store means so much to us.   For many people, our store and the candy we sell brings back happy memories of their childhood.  For our smallest customers, our store is that very experience that they will look back fondly on as adults. 

Filed under: Friends and Fans | Comments (0)

The Candy Artists

July 27, 2008

Here are some more photos from our visit to Papabubble in downtown NYC. In these pictures, they are making hard candies that say “Alexis 16″ as favors for a sweet sixteen party. Visit the store now to check out our window display, which features some of the by-products of their traditional candy making process.

Filed under: Random Thoughts | Comments (1)

New York, New York

July 16, 2008

Brian and I went to the Fancy Food Show in NY a couple of weeks ago, which was a lot of fun.  Our objective was to see what was new in the world of candy and to leave with a couple of new items for the store.  Mission accomplished.  We bought delicious honey and ginger pectin jellies from Italy, pumpkin malt balls from Greenwich Village, and a new line of single-origin, vintage-dated chocolate bars.  

For those of you who have never experienced a food show, it really is amazing.  Imagine several football fields filled with every kind of edible item on the planet.  Entire sections devoted to regional American and International foods.  It would have been worth the trip for the cheeses alone.  Tables filled with big wheels of parmesan, runny Brie de Meaux,  aged gorgonzolas and goudas - the best the world has to offer.  The same goes for desserts, coffees, teas, snacks, cured meats, beverages…and it’s all for the sampling. 

We usually go with a game plan, so as not to get totally overwhelmed or sick.  A typical hour might look something like this:  a slice of Serrano ham from Spain, a slathering of stinky, runny sheep’s milk cheese from Italy, a piece of chocolate from Brazil, a small  piece of NY cheesecake, and then water…lots and lots of water.  Next aisle: salty, spicy, sweet, drink -  and repeat.  You get the idea.

Hope you enjoy the above pictures from the show, and make sure to come by the store to see some of the new items we have - I think you’ll love them as much as we do.

   — Diane

Filed under: News | Comments (1)

We Celebrate Our First Birthday!

June 29, 2008

Alright, so it was a little late (our actual anniversary was back in April)…but we finally got around to throwing our first birthday party. And what a great time we had! Thanks so much to all of you who stopped by and showed your support for our store - you’ve really made us feel like we’re part of the neighborhood. And special thanks to our Director of Grassroots Marketing, Bella (you can see her working the street with our invitations below) and to the hardest-working party staff in the business: Liana and our intern, Rodney (also pictured below).

Here are a few more photos from the event. Thanks again, everyone!

Filed under: Events | Comments (2)

The Candy Store Welcomes Papabubble

May 26, 2008

Papabubble is an artisan confectioner that started out in Barcelona and has since expanded to include stores in Amsterdam, Tokyo and, most recently, New York. We have been fans of their handmade hard candies for a few years now, but were unable to import them into the states ourselves. With their expansion into the US, however, that was no longer an issue, and so when Diane went to New York in January, she made sure to stop by their new store to meet the owners and arrange their first ever shipment to the West Coast. Their candies are true artisan products, all handmade and as beautiful as fine cut glass. We now carry both their acid drops, which are super-tasty sour candies, and their “I Love NY” mix, which consists of fruity hard candies with the names of the five boroughs written in them. Best of all, they custom made a batch of “The Candy Store” candies just for us, in our signature colors and with the store’s name written in them. They are not only beautiful, but the apple-pear flavor is fantastic. If you want to taste the work of a truly cutting-edge confectioner, pick up a jar or three…it’s art you can eat.

Filed under: Products | Comments (1)