Halloween Event Pics
November 1, 2010
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Main Contents
the candy store’s halloween event.
October 26, 2010
It is pretty spooky that it’s the holidays already (“spooky”. You like that?). But before we all get crazed by the upcoming ones, how about we just deal with Halloween. It’s time for The Candy Store’s 4th Annual Halloween event! Hooray! I can hardly wait!
Come celebrate with us as we would like to thank you all for being such wonderful customers. Come by and get a takeout container filled with treats from The Candy Store’s fully-stocked candy cart. Last year we gave out close to 500 containers of candy (and this year, we’re expecting even more)! In addition to all the free candy, prizes will be given out for creative costumes. Trick-or-treaters of all ages are welcome.
What: The Candy Store’s 4th Annual Halloween Event
When: Sunday, October 31 from 2 – 6pm
Where: The Candy Store, 1507 Vallejo Street (at Polk)
Why: Free Candy. Costume Contest. The Candy Store Rocks.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
ps – check out the fun from past years.
~Liana
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Our Top Five
October 21, 2010
The most frequent question we get asked is, “What’s your favorite candy in the store?” Well, it’s not always so easy to answer. Sometimes I’m in the mood for sour candy, while other times it has to be chocolate. I also tend to get very attached to items that are short-lived or seasonal (like pumpkin spice caramels, which are only available for 6 weeks a year) and to new products that I’ve worked very hard to get. With that disclaimer, then, here are the current top five for Brian, Liana and me…
1. FAVORITE GUMMI (sweet or sour)
Diane: Sour gummi pumpkins – I’m all about consistency and these are perfect! I also love their tangerine flavor – reminds me of licking my finger and sticking it the tang jar, when I was a kid.
Brian: Gummi sneakers. I love all of our Spanish gummies, but these are my favorites.
Liana: If it’s sour, it’s got to be the sour snagx – the texture is great and it’s the most sour gummi we have. In the non-sour category, I love winegums, so chewy.
2. FAVORITE BULK CHOCOLATE
Diane: Peanut butter toffee – forget Reese’s, this stuff makes that stuff taste like dirt.
Brian: Chocolate-covered raspberry jelly rings from Joyva. Straight outta B’klyn…
Liana: So tough, but whenever I make a bag of chocolate to take home with me or to travel with, the chocolate toffee caramels and organic toffee pistachios are always in there.
3. FAVORITE OLD SCHOOL CANDY
Diane: Mallo Cups. They were my favorite candy ‘bar’ as a kid and then one day, they were nowhere to be found. I think part of the reason I wanted to own a candy store was so that I could have a Mallo Cup anytime I wanted to.
Brian: My choice is only half old school: it’s the Clark bar. NECCO recently changed the formula, improving the quality of the ingredients, and in my opinion it is even better than before. Not all change is bad.
Liana: Bit-O-Honey – it was one of the candies that I remember sharing with my Grandpa as a kid. After school, we’d sit on the porch and share bites of the bar and talk story. If only life were still as simple.
4. FAVORITE ARTISAN CHOCOLATE BAR
Diane: Ginger Elizabeth’s Crispy Coconut Kaffir Lime Dessert Bar. I’m so glad these bars aren’t inexpensive, because if they were, I’d eat one everyday.
Brian: Rococo Chocolates’ Earl Grey Tea Bar. Dark chocolate and Earl Grey tea were meant to be together.
Liana: While I think all of the bars that Diane selects for the store are superb, Ginger Elizabeth’s crunchy gianduja bar is tied with Bon Bon Bar’s caramel nut bar. It’s pretty obvious that I like that salty/sweet/crunchy combo (best idea ever!)
5. FAVORITE INDULGENCE
Diane: It’s a tie….Bon Bon Bar’s caramallow and V Chocolates box of salted caramels. Liana just sent me her answers and I laughed because we have the same one. They both have a ‘cult’ following at the store as well. Let’s just say, the store is not a pleasant place to be, if we’re out of either one of these. It gets ugly. Real ugly.
Brian: Hope and Greenwood’s Cinder Toffee. We import this directly from one of our favorite stores in London. Don’t be confused by the name, America: it’s what we call sponge candy or honeycomb. And it’s delicious.
Liana: Hands down tie between V Chocolates salted caramels with pretzels and Bon Bon Bar’s caramallows (see what I mean about the salty/sweet/crunchy?)
What are your top fives? I would love to know!
- Diane
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Road Trip
October 11, 2010
Brian and I took a road trip to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara last week, to celebrate our anniversary. We’ve been trying to get back down to LA for some time, as so many people have been urging us to open a second location there. We did get a chance to check out a few neighborhoods; unfortunately, it was raining during most of our trip, resulting in virtually zero foot traffic (not that LA is known for foot traffic) and empty stores. Our friends who live there told us that when it rains in LA, no one goes out. I guess it’s true, because when we went out one night to hear some live music, the singer thanked the audience for coming out and “braving the storm” – it was drizzling. At best. Needless to say, we’ll have to go down another time, to get an accurate sense of what neighborhoods are like in fair weather.
A few highlights of our trip were spending time with our amazing friends, eating some really delicious food, visiting a few old-school candy shops and the beautiful drive along the coast. Oh, and we had several celebrity sightings, something I shamelessly live for.
- Diane
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In The Halloween Spirit
September 20, 2010
The fall, with it’s orange and brown hues, always reminds me of Halloween. As a child in New York, Halloween was the most exciting night of the year. I would spend hours running from house to house in search of the best treats. I can think of few experiences which match that of emptying the night’s loot on my bed and separating it into three piles: favorites (not to be traded and to be eaten last), decents (could possibly be traded for a favorite) and the dregs (pennies, toothbrushes, granola bars – basically, the kind of stuff my mom would give out). Halloween was one of the only times I was allowed to eat candy and I would obsess about it for weeks prior to the big night. I never cared much about the dressing up part, decorations, or activities like bobbing for apples (I mean, your prize was an apple). I kind of get like that a few days before we put out our holiday candy – I actually can hardly sleep the night before, I am that excited! Come on in and feel like a kid again! – Diane
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Bon Bon Bar’s Candy Tasting Pics
September 1, 2010
Here are some pics from our first confectioner’s showcase starring Nina Wanat of Bon Bon Bar. Thanks to those of you who came, it was a lot of fun and a huge success! If you couldn’t make it this time, we’re planning on having more events like it in the future. Stay tuned….
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The Candy Store’s Confectioner Showcase.
August 22, 2010
Mark your calendars, everyone! That’s right, The Candy Store is throwing another party and you are all invited. We would love if you could join us for another fun-filled night as we party with Nina Wanat of Bon Bon Bar. She will be doing a special candy tasting of her delectable treats. If you are not yet familiar with her candies, you will quickly become a fan after just one bite.
At The Candy Store, we are all about supporting local and small companies as much as possible (Diane and Brian are really great about discovering new creative talent). Nina is a confectioner here in the Bay Area. Once a week we receive orders of her passion fruit and vanilla bean marshmallows, caramel nut bars, and cult favorite (and The Candy Store exclusive) caramallows (trust us, we have a special name for these). And every week we sell out. Not only is everything she makes yummy and of the highest quality ingredients, but Nina herself is so sweet and we love her. Stop by and meet her, hang with Diane, Brian, and me, and maybe even discover a new favorite candy.
What: The Candy Store’s Bon Bon Bar Event
When: Thursday, August 26 from 5 – 7pm
Where: The Candy Store, 1507 Vallejo Street (at Polk)
Why: Did you see the photos above?, Champagne, You LOVE The Candy Store
See you there!
~Liana
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The Candy Store’s Fan Club Contest
July 5, 2010
We recently had a contest on The Candy Store’s Facebook page, where we asked our fans to tell us why they should be President of our fan club. We announced the winners (there was a tie) at our 3rd anniversary party a couple of weeks ago and presented them with delicious candy prizes. We got so many wonderful submissions, and wanted to share just a few of our favorites with you:
| From Cathy C: | |
| I think I’m the Candy Store’s biggest fan because I don’t think you could find someone who loves candy more than me (other than you and Brian.) I love candy and sweets so much that at my wedding I insisted on having a wedding cake, a dessert buffet AND a candy bar that was provided by The Candy Store! I still remember the first time I walked by the store March or April 2007 and when I first walked by it was closed (it was the evening) and I was like “WHAT IS THIS PLACE! It’s a candy wonderland.” I went back the next day when you were open and I felt like I’d stepped back in time, back to my childhood, only an even better childhood than the one I’d had, a childhood where stores like yours existed on every corner and you could go every afternoon and literally buy happiness with a few dollars. I love that that is what your store brings to the neighborhood and I hope you open one up in the Richmond soon. I love every piece of candy you’ve got in the store and I think I’ve sampled them all. I feel like your store is literally the happiest place on earth. Happy third anniversary! I’m so happy for you and I’m so happy that I’ve been able to watch and partake in the growth these past three years!!
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| From Jonathan: | |
| The Candy Store is a happy little turquoise paradise. When I walk in, I am surrounded by dozens of jars of bright, colorful candy from across the globe. Local? Gluten-free? Organic? Not available outside of Japan? They’ve got it. Each selection is hand-picked by the Candy Store’s team of candy experts who have taken the time to learn the origin and ingredients of each candy. Diane has a PhD in candy and the uncanny ability to tailor recommendations based on each customer’s personal candy preferences. Liana adds her keen sense of style and will arrange your candy into an elegant and tasty gift. Brian makes kick-ass brittle. For the past three years, San Francisco has been a little happier thanks to the Candy Store. Congratulations on 3 years. See you tomorrow!
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| From Cathy B: | |
| OK I’ll play your game D. I’m your biggest fan and I’ll tell you why. Not only did you and your store become family to me when I was new in the ‘hood, my kid is basically 1/2 chocolate raisin – and you were my crack dealer during those 9 months. I love that you guys are passionate about what you’re pushing, stock everything I grew up on and listen to your repeat clients (i.e. getting rid of those organic choc raisins in favor of the processed ones cos they just taste better that way). I’m such a fan I get my friends to hand-deliver me Brian’s coconut brittle and Summerdown mints when I’m 100 miles away. Watch out for that P&L statement of yours, it’s gonna take a mean incline – we’re moving back in 2 weeks. Can’t believe it’s been a year since your last birthday! Love yer guts!
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| From Jen: | |
| I want to submit to be the President of the Candy Store Fan Club!I love having Candy Store as an addition to the Polk Street shops. Of course, I totally adore the candy, but I love how it’s become a gathering place — it’s always fun to walk in and chat with you and Brian and Liana, take friends there, or pick up little treats for the people I love. I really appreciate your passion for the candy, and the things that I’ve learned from going in over the past three years.
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| From Abby (6 years old): | |
| I am The Candy Store’s biggest fan because… I get to write my name in the book and I already know where The Candy Store is. I visit a lot. And they are very nice to me. And they let me take my time. I tell all my friends about The Candy Store. And my friends sometimes want to go there. I like the owners, and also Liana. I go to a lot of other candy stores, but this one is the best!
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| From Krista: | |
| How do I tell Nick I love him? Zaanse licorice. How do I tell Nick Happy Birthday and that he’ll always be a kid at heart? Candy legos.How do I say, “sorry babe”? Monkey heads…he can never stay mad when he wears a smile that big. How do I make up for not cooking? Fried egg gummies for brunch. How do I tell Nick to have a safe and happy trip? A turtle, snagx, pig tail, wine gum, monkey head, coke bottle medley with a side of lavender candy.
Why do I love The Candy Store? It’s a part of my sweet romance.
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Party!
June 16, 2010
Come celebrate The Candy Store’s 3rd Anniversary with us. We would love to have you there to thank you for your support over the past three years and want you to come party with us. Oh, and not that you need a reason, but there will be food, champagne, prizes, and candy (of course!). We are also very excited to have local confectioner Happy Goat (we’re all in love with it) join us for a special tasting.
What: The Candy Store’s 3rd Anniversary Party
When: Thursday, June 17 from 5 – 8 pm
Where: The Candy Store, 1507 Vallejo Street
Why: Food, Champagne, Door Prizes, Candy!
Plus, a special tasting courtesy of Happy Goat
See you tomorrow!
ps – There’s a special contest for all of our fans on Facebook. Check it out because there’s a huge prize for the winner!
~Liana
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