Fiona's Sweetshoppe
Categories: Candy Stores, Chocolatiers and Shops [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Union Square, Nob Hill214 Sutter St
(between Claude Ln & Kearny St)
San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 399-9992
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Garage
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
310 reviews
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
"Once you step foot inside it feels like you walked into a humongous organized cupboard; chocolates lined up against the shelves, the wooden…" read more »
54 Reviews for Fiona's Sweetshoppe
A tiny little storefront that was manned by an older British gentleman who could only be described as "kindly." He was exceptionally friendly, and apologized for the quality of the chocolate-covered toffee caramels - they were faring rather poorly during the minor heat wave. The jelly babies, however, proved to be made of sterner stuff.
If you're looking for a real treat, this is definitely worth stopping in if/when you're down by Union Square. Kind of pricey, but a great atmosphere and a load of character - what else would you expect from a bit of Britain right in the middle of SF? Swing by for a chat and a little white-paper bag tied with ribbon.
I felt kinda bad about giving Fiona a so-so review since I can tell its an individually owned business, but now that I see everyone else is raving about the shop I don't feel as though my one little negative review will do that much damage.
When I went in here, I felt like the variety was disappointing. Fiona's Sweetshoppe mostly had candies from England...if you're an American and you're craving some of your old favorites, this spot probably wont carry them. Its more of a European specialty candy shop. I was a little disappointed when they didn't have a few types of candy I wanted, although I did find Flakey, my mom's favorite candy from her childhood in South Africa. And, I saw that they had this weird candy called Flying Saucers, which explode in your mouth-another South African candy my mom introduced me to. I was super excited when I saw the flying saucers on display, because those were a childhood favorite of mine, only to find out they were out of stock. I'd suggest taking them off display until they get them back in stock to avoid disappointment.
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A lovely little shoppe with a lovely lady from the UK who is clearly well versed and passionate about her candy! She mostly carries candies from the UK, so if you really want American goodies, 7Eleven is just across the street. Fiona's has my favorite Allsorts ever! Extremely soft and tender and licorice-y and reminded me so much of my former Aussie/UK pastry chef who left to go back home and whom I miss and love so dearly. I'm sure if she weren't already in the UK this place would make her feel right at home.
So back to the review, some stats, really tiny, cute, shoppe with loads of colorful candies in jars and baskets, 20+ varieties of licorice, toffees, hard candies, gummies, and UK candy bars. All candy is 4.49 for a 1/4lb, so not cheap but worth the splurge, for me anyway. Especially for the quality of the Allsorts. It's kind of a good thing that this place is not on my way home because if it was, I have a feeling I would be visiting Dr. Jang's dental office more than just twice a year.
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I just went in about 45 minutes ago and only bought one thing: the pistachio Turkish delight. I popped one in my mouth and had practically broke out in song on Kearney. Fiona's Turkish delight was better than stuff I bought in Turkey ! It wasn't super sweet and the pistachios added an amazing flavor. I don't know where Fiona's gets this stuff, but I'm a huge fan now. It's expensive but well worth it on occasion. I look forward to getting the rose flavor and trying some of the other candies.
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Lovely quaint little shop with candies I used to only ever find in my best friend's mum's kitchen cupboards. They would import them back to the states because they missed them so much.
Fiona is a sweet little woman from the UK with a little shoppe that seems to be a cross between all the children's stories I've ever read. It's whimsical and full of things I've never seen before. I stood there dumbstruck for a bit before she offered me a free sample of something gummi and fruity.
"I have no idea what I want," I said. "You have such a great selection and I've never tried most of these before."
"Well do you like hard candies or chewy candies?" she asked.
"Chewy candies today I think."
"Gummies or caramels?"
"Em....."
"Here's a sample. On this wall we have gummi candies and in this section we have some very nice Scottish toffees. We also have turkish delight too. Everything is the same price."
"I've only ever heard of Turkish delight from the Narnia books," I say.
She laughs, and I buy some toffee and a rose turkish delight (super good, as were the toffees).
Only downside is that it's quite a bit on the pricey side ($4 per quarter pound or something like that) but still quite good if you want to indulge your sweet tooth a little after a day of shopping at Loehmanns since it's right next door.
stepping into Fiona's sweet shoppe is for me akin to stepping into honeyduke's and right onto a page in a harry potter book, despite the single step it takes. It is a small shop, but the variety of imported british candy makes its size unimportant. Ive never been to britain, and ive never had british candy (only read about it!) so trying the jelly babies, lemon sours, and turkish delights (fave!) made for a pretty amazing experience in addition to feeling like a character in a chapter of harry potter. Lastly, but not least important, Fiona is so sweet! I really had a blast talking with her and having her explain certain candies and their origins to my niece and I. And re: the person that mentioned the lack of american candy: its a specialty candy store hence, sweet 'shoppe'.
Okay, I did try to move into Fiona's. But it is a small shop and it was impossible for me to hide in a corner.
Fiona's is the BIGGEST smallest candy shop I've been to. Even though I am a huge See's candy fan (ha ha in more ways than one); I strayed one morning while hanging out in SF with a choco/shopaholic buddy.
We thought we'd just get a little bit of this or that. But the moment we stepped into Fiona's we were completely entranced. We felt like Hansel and Gretel (or in our case Gretel and Gretel) gawking at the candy house. Rows and rows and rows of clear jars contained every possible chocolate, chewy, gummy, sticky, sour candy ever invented.
Most of the candies are European (I think the chocolates are US).
Whenever we asked about the candies the kind counter person gave us samples. After 8 (?) or more samples, our teeth were beginning to vibrate and the sugar rush made me feel like I was on a pogo stick.
So we did stop.. I got mint chocolate malt balls, chocolate pistachios and UFOs. The UFO's (see my pic) are this flat colored disks with a fizzy tablet inside. The disks look like pastel-colored condoms or foam packaging thingamajigs. The kids I gave them to LOVED them.
Thanks Fiona's for a wonderful experience. Thanks for the samples and your patience. A sweet time with sweet people!
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What a great little shop.
Fiona is super nice as she is always willing to familiarize you to her treats.
It can be a bit dizzying being in there, all the treats to chose from.
Unless you're familiar with the candies from Europe and the UK, you should map out the offerings on their website.
New favorites are the bonbons. Strawberry and Lemon.
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We hurried over to Fiona's Sweetshoppe after I drank my cap at Blue Bottle.
The shop is teeny-tiny. It barely fits 2 customers in the store. I had a list of candies I wanted and the lady was very friendly and even gave us a sample.
A 1/2 lb is almost $9 so stuff isn't cheap, but it's British candy..it's not supposed to be cheap.
I got:
Sherbet lemons -pretty tart hard candy, no wrapper around candy.
strawberry chocolate hard candy-individually wrapped, it's a hard sweet strawberry outside & inside is chocolate taste. I liked it! Recommended.
Maynards wine gums -It's a chewy candy in a roll for $1.79
Treacle toffee -pretty good, sweet & chewy, individually wrapped. Recommended.
Rhubarb & custard hard candy -just ok, no wrapper.
buttergingers-individually wrapped, butterscotch flavor w/ a hint of ginger. Nice.
My assortment was $4.85 (about 17 small pcs) and since they have a minimum of $5 to use credit card I got the Maynards wine gum for $1.79 (pre-wrapped, not from the jar).
My total $6.64.
Hrs:
10-6 M-F
11-5 Sat
1-5 Sun
Website:
http://www.fionassweet...
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You almost walk past this place before you see it. So thank goodness for peripheral vision. I saw those bright little baubles of deliciousness out of the corner of my eye and walked in - asking if they had any licorice. "Fiona's Dad" responded with an enthusiastic "23 Kinds!" utterance and we were off. Frankly, I haven't seen an adult (with the exception of myself) so excited by licorice. It was a bonding moment. And I will be back frequently.
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oh-mi-god i'm going to drive a different way home now so i can go by fiona's as often as humanly possible. i met fiona's dad (whose nametag actually says "fiona's dad") and he was sooo nice! he let me taste something i'd never tried before and i walked out with a delicious array of yummies that you can't find anywhere else. i'd like to actually live inside the shoppe but it's teensy-weensy (literally the one person behind me barely fit inside) and the rent plus cost of candy would kill me. the yummies are on the pricey side ($9/lb or so) but worth it!
This fion ass sweet shoppe seems like it just dropped out of a Harry Potter Novel
It's one of those whimsical little shops that seem to appear out of nowhere offering mystical treats that I've never seen before. Imagine you are Harry Potter, strolling through Diagon Alley when you suddenly see a small mysterious shop. You enter cautiously and are then pleasantly surprised by the vast array of candy jars lined up on many shelves, full of delights that you've never experienced. An old wizard greets you cordially and asks you what you'd like. He speaks in a whimsically whimsical way with wonderfully witty words. After much brow furrowing, you decide to pick up some acid pop, liquorice Wands, and your favorite Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. The end.
That's basically my experience with Fiona's. I was walking along sutter street when suddenly I noticed a small shop called Fiona's. Appeared out of nowhere! I walked in to see an old man who I found out had a British accent just like in Harry Potter films, but he wasn't a wizard. Though he did speak with a nice British charm, I don't remember what he said but he had a very unique way with words. His words were pretty whimsical. Needless to say I picked up some candy that I'd never seen or tried before. Some acid drops, chocolate gummy bears, fruit slices, and some awesome turkish delights.
Alright, Turkish delights are more CS Lewis candies, but it's close enough to the magical world of Harry Potter.
Anyways check this place out, you might have a Harry Potter flashback. Or at least go there for the turkish delights!
We checked this place out after seeing the rave reviews on yelp and were disappointed. The candy was tasty, yes, but so is most candy! This place is extremely small. I'd say the maximum occupancy is 5 people. Also, the prices are rather high. We picked out a few kinds of candy and suddenly were at over $20!
They do have candies from many different countries, but the selection isn't as wide as the other reviews lead you to believe.
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Very cute little sweet shop located downtown and if you blink you'll completely miss it. Has a wide array of fudge, hard candy, chewy candy, obscure and random packaged candy and chocolates. If you want something a little eclectic then this place is great, if you want a Snickers bar go across the street to the 7-11.
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Sweet and super cute candy store! It's super small and easy to miss, I've walked down this street many times and have never noticed it, until last week. The candy jars line the wall and the store front shows off all the fun sweets from around the world. The nice lady behind the counter gave me a sample of all the candies I was interested in.
It's fun and the candy, super tasty. One star off for the high price!
My wife stumbled upon Fiona's online, and I knew I had to pay a visit.. soon! I went there after work Thursday, having spent hours salivating over their website, looking at all the candies I grew up with in England, but haven't had in 15 years. I prepared my list of essentials in advance so I wouldn't hold up other customers once I arrived. Heres what I ordered:
- Rhubarb & Custards
- Flying Saucers
- Chewing Nuts
- Bon Bons - Lemon & Strawberry
- Blackcurrant & Liquorice
- Coconut Mushrooms
The Flying Saucers were for my wife. 2 sugar paper discs formed into a flying saucer shape with a sour sherbert inside. I bought 40 of them, but have been banned from eating them as I have a tendency to eat them all in one sitting.
Rhubarb & Custards are phenomenal, they are a hard candy, with a light sugar coating. You really don't taste much until the sugar coating has dissolved.
I bought the coconut mushrooms for my wife to try. I love them, and could eat them all day long, but Anna had never had them before. I bought six, of which I was allowed to eat 1. The rest have been hidden from me.
I would definitely recommend paying a visit to Fiona's as long as you have a good dental plan!
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Fiona's Sweetshoppe is now my favorite candy store- its got all the candies I could possibly want to eat and more that I've never even heard of before. For some reason, I thought the store was bigger than it actually is, but it manages to contain all everything in a neat manner. Unlike Miette, Fiona's feels cozier and I just felt much more comfortable browsing- not that there's much space, but Annette, the friendly saleswoman, made me feel welcome. She greeted me right away and offered up a sample of whatever I wanted. When I seemed indecisive, she suggested the ginger Scottish fudge, which was very good- it was obviously fudge, but with a distinct ginger note.
That sample got me started on my candy shopping spree- not that I got much, but I felt like I was getting one of everything that caught my eye. I started off with one each of the Scottish fudges, then went on to get one each of the sherbet candies, some of the fruit bonbons, and some Mint Chip malt balls. That was just from the left side of the shop- I barely got over to the back and right walls. I ended up with a good handful of candies for me to enjoy, but it looks like I missed quite a number of unique English candies from what I see on their website.
I will most definitely be back to try everything else because I immensely enjoyed each and every candy that I selected. The Mint Chip malt balls were especially good - way, way, way better than any Whoppers malt balls. The candies are a little pricey at $18/pound, but they're so good they're well worth the price.
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Came here after a day of shopping at Loehman's. I wasn't even sure how to get into the store. I just saw the owner cleaning up a little and I decided was in the mood for chocolate covered gummi bears- my fave. The store was actually closed and she still invited me in with a smile and told me a little bit about the candy, how they are all from the UK and the licorice is from Holland. The shop is really tiny and the walls are full of candies in jars. I think that the candy is a bit on the pricey side, but let me tell you it is so worth it. The chocolate part of the chocolate covered gummi bears are fresh and you can tell that it is not American chocolate. I can't even explain, you just have to try and you'll know what I mean. The gummi bears you know for sure are from Europe. They just taste different. My neighbor who is German, use to bring me back gummi bears from Germany and they just have a fresher taste, with more of a fruit flavor. So with that combo, it was just an overall superior candy that you get, than from other stores. I would for sure come back, if I'm in the neighborhood.
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I happened upon Fiona's yesterday on my way home from picking out new glasses. I am a candy-maker and was thrilled to find such a fabulously old-fashioned candy store. I bought some honeycomb, ginger fudge, and treacle toffees. All was delicious.
My only beef with them (and why they get 4 instead of 5 stars) is that in SF, it would be nice if they had *some* locally produced candy. But all the british stuff is fabulous!
What a cute little candy store. I stopped in last week to pick up some of the flying saucers and was informed that the only ones they had left were the display ones. Fiona herself was there and gave me a whole bunch of the display saucers free of charge, after informing me that they had only been in there for two days and basically still edible. She let me taste anything I inquired about: english tea cakes, coconut mushrooms, licorice, etc. The tea cakes are tiny, compressed round coconut macaroons that are not overly sweet. I got some of these, and Fiona packaged them very nicely in her little pink bags. She mentioned that she almost didn't make it back from England, because she loved it so much. Well, I am glad that she made it back!
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While the British are not really known for their lavish and exquisite cuisine, they sure do know how to make candy.
Rhubarb & cream sweets are my new luuuuuurve.
Fiona's massages my sweet tooth's G-spot. *le sigh*
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Fiona is brilliant. She sells candy bars from Britain featuring them on fancy plates and charges 14.00 a pound for them. The quality of the chocolate *is* better than US in some ways. The bulk jar candy is interesting and fun. My frequent purchase is .25 lb of Holland Mints. They are beyond delicious.
I was excited to discover this little hidden treasure on Sutter. I love the fact they took the time to list all the different varieties on their website, so newbies can scope out their selections beforehand. The variety is great and the packaging/concept is terrific.
As expected, the prices are high--when was the last time you spent $30+ on a bag of candy, but the friendly service and sheer adventure of it all make it worthwhile.
Minus one star for the incorrect way of using the plastic gloves--they are meant to keep the candy pristine, not to protect the hand. Kind of gross to see the same glove take the money, then go back into the jar . . .
candy sensory overload!
:: love that they have Hopjes - this dutch hard coffee candy that i can only seem to find in asia or europe
:: love that they have anything and everything cadbury!
:: love that "fiona" has an english accent
:: love her little pink and white baggies that she packs her candy in
:: love that she personally helps you sample
:: mini-love that her candy costs half an arm and leg. but sure beats a plane ride to get 'em!
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You know, considering how much I love candy and I really truly believe I do have a "sweet tooth", I found this shoppe on the way to Cafe Claude. I saw the plastic jars of candy after candy after candy and it was decided that I must satisfy my sweet tooth. I think it was Fiona, but I didn't ask, but the nice lady offered suggestions as to what to order. Seriously, there were jars of candy and it was sort of overwhelming. I've never really been to a candy shop before, so I felt my eyes wandering the shelves. I ended up getting a lot of hard candies, which were common in England. But I also tried caramel and a mint malt ball. Unfortuantely I went after I had a huge lunch, so I didn't order all that I would've, but no worries, I can go back!
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Fiona's is the cutest little sweetshoppe i have ever come across. We didnt know where to begin and Fiona (yes!! she has a british accent. i get too excited when i hear british accents- i had this dumbfounded look on my face when she greeted us)
Anyway, Fiona was so sweet and to asked our likes/dislikes and gave us some background on the candies. Even when other customers walked in she didnt rush us and still took her time helping us!
we took home a sample of everything, from bon bons to acid drops (honestly, no wonder brits had those teef..ha, jk). i recommend the chocolate eclairs, acid drops and chocolate malt balls. Fiona recommended the rhubarb and custard, which was really yummy, and midget gems, which are like dots but a little harder and with a cuter name.
I work at FIDM and finals week has been Hell on earth. During breaks I am in strollable distance from Fiona's-a little slice of Heaven. The Scottish fudge melts in your mouth and the toffees, well, the toffees just plain rock. I met Fiona yesterday and it's befitting that such a sweet woman should own a sweet shop. 10 stars!
Fiona knows how to get my attention...the incredible variety and candy that I am not familiar with. This is TRUELY SCRUMPTIOUS oh yes, she's truely scrumtious, never ever ever let me go wild.
I have a dental appointment next month. Brush after consuming.
Fiona's is just very cute and more convenient thant Miette's.
I am so happy I ventured outside of the usual for me when I came across this great shop. The cutest and sweetest gentleman was there welcoming me in with an adorable british accent! And because I am such a dork I giggled thinking to myself - "How can I get him to sing or say a Spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down?" heehee
This store isn't very big - get more than 5 people in there its wall to wall packed. But so lovey with shelves of labeled jars of candy. It was so perfectly arranged it would make Martha Stewart cry!
I bought Sherbert Strawberries, White Chocolate Macaroon and Toffee Whirls. Some unfortunately didn't make it past Lake Merrit station on my way home to Dublin/Pleasanton. :) They were all so yummy that I can't wait to go back again and try some different toffee's!!
But I can't wait to have kids to take them to Fiona's so when we have special downtown trips this would be a highlight of our day! Just like the Rooftop at Emporium was for me when I was a li'l bebe.
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I followed my Daily Candy tip to check out Fiona's and came out with a bag of candy for myself and a cute Valentine gift for my sweetie (born in London, still love the UK goodies).
Not only is the proprietress a SWEETHEART, but anyone who has lived/spent time in the UK will find their favorite sweets on hand (how I kill for a Lion Bar at times). Strawberry bonbons, lemon sherbets, gummies of all kinds...
If you are not familiar with UK sweet, stop in and Ms. Sweetshoppe will guide you through what you may like to try. It is a tiny shop, but should not be missed!
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I passed by this tiny, British candy store several times without even looking twice. Yesterday, however...I looked for the Mrs. Field's cookie shop. No cookies...but instead, I found Fiona's.
Or more specifically, Fiona's DAD. That's what it said on his nametag, at least.
He was a charming fellow, and had a disarmingly sweet demeanor...pretty much worth the five star rating right there.
It was like he stepped right out of Braveheart. But instead of attacking me with big swords in a Mel Gibson schlong-perm, he started handing me rhubarb cream sweets in cute pink girly bags while saying things like "and I tank ya, darlin'" in an awesome Irish accent.
I'm not even sure if that's really what he said...he could have said, "You smell and look like sewer bile" in that accent. I wouldn't have even flinched.
(And if the accent was English, I apologize. Just replace "Braveheart" with "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "Mel Gibson" with "Hugh Grant." My bad!)
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This place is absolutely adorable. My favorite offerings so far are the mushroom candies that seem to be made of date, coconut, and lemon-flavored fondant. I bought them the first time for novelty's sake, thinking I'd share them around the office for laughs. Instead, I ate every one greedily. Not a single mushroom even survived the walk back! I told people about them instead, wihch was considerably less impressive. The next time I went in, Fiona threw in a couple of other coconut candies for me to try. Nice, but no mushrooms. Check 'em out!
Fiona, how could you possibly have known that I was having a totally crap day? But somehow, you knew.
You graciously bent your "minimum purchase" rule to sell me a half a bag of toffees, just because I was having a crap day and left my ATM card at home and had only $5 on me.
I love you Fiona!
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You should go to Fiona's Sweetshoppe if you're looking for tasty, high-quality candies. Jars and jars of them line the shelves of this small yet full store full o' goodies. My first visit involved buying a pound of different fruit-flavored sweets for my sweet, and my visit was eased by doing research on the shop's Web site beforehand, figuring out which to buy. There are some chocolates, too, particularly British brands, which don't seem as, I don't know, *classy* as the sugary candies but are undoubtedly of interest to someone. Go here! Buy some yummy treats!
Very sweet candy shoppe indeed. Part of the sweetness factor is that Fiona's dad was out front passing out samples of toffees. Shop is on the miniscule side, but is jam packed with lots of candies, imported from the UK. Fantastic selection of licorice is in all sorts of fun shapes and sizes. Fiona was very helpful and I was welcome to sample as many goodies as I wanted. Fortunately, I had already eaten lunch, but I don't recommend going there on an empty stomach!
Very cute shop, and the logo is incredibly well designed. The region has a few pricy chocolate shops like, Richart and Teuscher so this is a nice alternative for those that aren't chocoholics.
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Go, make Ian smile. It will brighten your day. Even if he's slightly abashedly having a quick smoke around the corner. Point at shiny candies and have them tumble into a cup and then your bright pink bag like a little Halloween just for you. Or maybe the nice lady at Sawaii sushi if you want to share. Tangerines, soft toffees, Lion bars and so much goodness. Send a bag to your niece who's just discovering Harry Potter and doesn't know acid drops are real.
this store is super cute. the selection is not as big as that of miette, but everything is great. wakako turned me on to the the strawberry bonbons, and the lemon ones are great too!
Once I step foot in Fiona's I know I am not going anywhere until I have looked at every sweet in the shop.
I usually end up spending at least $20 on candy!
This store makes me feel like I am 5yrs old again.
Both Fiona and her Dad are super friendly.
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I felt like a kid in a candy store...oh wait, I basically was a kid in a candy store!
The guy behind the counter was wearing a name tag and it said "Fiona's Dad" haha, thought that was pretty cute. He was probably in his 70's and was super nice and friendly!
They had a pretty big variety of candy in jars ranging from gummies to hard candies to double salted licorice. The store itself is tiny, but that just makes it more cute.
They put your candy in a cute little paper bag and tie a pink ribbon on it. Who can say no to candy? How could this store no be totally awesome?!
Ian is perhaps the nicest man in the world. I just visited for my first time, and my friend and I decided to hurry back to the office to write our reviews.
When you first enter the store you might think its nothing more than a sweet shop. Well, it is... but its the best damn sweet shop in the city. The candy is delicious and fresh, and the cool little shop is filled to the top with delights both chocolate and licorice.
I told Ian as we left that he' d better prepare to see us at least once a week if not more. I am sure my belt size can't take it, but what do I care, its awesome freakin candy!
