I’ve put together a list of my favourite 5 places to buy candy in New York City! Just don’t tell my dentist! Enjoy!
Rock Candy at Dylan’s Candy Bar
5. The Sweet Life: 63 Hester St, New York (Lower East Side)
A cute, old-style candy store with candy in jars! They also have crazy 5lb (2.2kg) gummy bears, and stock some sugar-free and kosher candy! Open 10am-6:30pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sunday (closed Saturday).
4. FAO Schweetz: 5th Avenue (59th St), New York (Midtown East)
Located inside the infamous FAO Schwartz toy store, this store-inside-a-store is an obvious money making scheme of someone who realised that kids wouldn’t let their parents leave the store without letting them buy some candy (and if you have a stroller, you have to walk THROUGH the candy section to get to the elevator). Another large overpriced “pay by weight” candy selection, FAO Schweetz also boasts amusing giant sized candy boxes (packed with, I assume, smaller boxes of candy inside). Open 10am-7pm Sun-Thurs, 10am-8pm Fri-Sat.
3. M&M’s World: 1600 Broadway (49th St), New York (Midtown West)
If you’re a fan of M&M’s you’ll want to come here. This place is 3 floors of everything M&M’s – every time of merchandise you can imagine, and a floor of “mix your own” M&M’s that come in every colour of the rainbow and more, and all the different flavours (including peanut, pretzel, mint, coconut and raspberry). The candy can be pricey, so go easy on the self-serve machines. Open 9am-midnight, 7 days.
2. Economy Candy: 108 Rivington St, New York (Lower East Side)
This is the place that I visited on the Food on Foot tour that I took on my visit to New York in 2010. It is literally crammed with candy from floor to ceiling, something you have to see to believe. You can pretty much get every gummy animal under the sun here. Scratch that – you can pretty much get any candy you have ever eaten here. Do you. You know you want to. Open 10am-6pm Mon & Sat, 9am-6pm Sun, Tues-Fri.
1. Dylan’s Candy Bar: 1011 3rd Avenue (60th St), New York (Midtown East)
Dylan’s is a candy shop on crack, owned by Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph. The street-level floor has masses of “pay by weight” candy. The lower level has fudge, chocolates, stationary, gift ideas and souvenirs. You can buy mini candy jars with your name on them (if you have a common name… not Cyndi) and fill them with your favourite candy. My personal favourite – rock candy! The prices are high, but it’s worth it for the experience. Dylan’s is on my “to do list” every time I’m in the city! They also have a big display where celebrities have come in and filled a container with their favourite candy and signed it. And for the grown ups, there is also a bar/cafe upstairs that serves alcoholic candy-flavoured drinks… Open 10am-9pm Mon-Thurs, 10am-11pm Fri-Sat, 11am-9pm Sun. Bar open after 3pm Thurs-Sun. Cafe hours vary.
Taylor Swift’s picks!
Honorable mentions:
Hershey’s didn’t make the list because, frankly, I think their chocolate is disgusting, but they do exist, and their store, although smaller than M&M’s World, has it’s place in the Theatre District. Come here if you want Reeses Peanut Butter Cup merchandise! (1593 Broadway/48th St) Open 9am-midnight daily.
Toys R Us, although not a candy store on it’s own, has a large selection of Wonka brand candy (nerds, gobstoppers, taffy). (1514 Broadway/44th St) Opens at 9am Saturday, 10am all other days. Closes at 10pm Sun-Thurs, 11pm Fri-Sat.
The other side of the world 