Halloween is upon us, and while kids collect buckets full of mini chocolate bars all made by the same two companies, the smart sweet tooth uses the holiday's built-in excuse to buy heaps of unique and intriguing candy from local shops. These sweet stops remain constant staples for all things sugar, including nostalgic childhood favorites, iconic imports, housemade treats, and cutting-edge sour gummies.
The longtime University Village candy shop rises to the sugar-coated occasion, whether it's Halloween candy corn, chocolate-covered Santas, or gummy sour lips around Valentine's Day. No matter the season, the interior is stuffed with chocolates, gummies, vintage candies, nonpareils, ring pops, and a glass case full of caramels and truffles. The displays are half the fun.
Dentist-owned candy shop? It's a real thing at Mad Candy.
A pair of dentists (yes, really) opened a tiny spot on 34th Avenue that bursts with vibrant sugar in various forms. All the classics are here: penny candy, gummies, sours. Speciality items include fancy bars of chocolate (including ones from Seattle's incredible Spinnaker Chocolate) and locally made truffles, but Mad Candy isn't too fancy to stock things like Nerds. One of the shop's bestsellers is Lakrids By Bülow, an artisanal Danish licorice that receives a sweet coating of chocolate, toffee, or caramel.
This tiny store—hidden in the DownUnder of Pike Place Market—has been tempting sweet teeth since 1997. The closet-size space holds more than 200 different types of candies, from Swedish Fish to chocolate covered raisins to motorized spinning lollipops. Various collectible Pez dispensers, not to mention jawbreakers and Razzles (remember those?), foster serious nostalgia. Owner Aika Takanagi was even game to participate in our oral history of the nearby Gum Wall, and Sweetie's is a good place to stop for provisions if you need to add your own wad of chewed Dubble Bubble to the sticky-gross milieu.
Getting into the spirit of things (sigh, no pun intended) at Sweet Mickey's in Ballard.
Randy Brinker’s homage to his grandmother Mickey has plenty of traditional indulgences like peach rings, chocolate covered gummy bears, and licorice wheels. But Sweet Mickey’s also showcases Brinker’s homemade fudge, does a delightful job on birthday parties, and has a number of different truffles, including some seasonal Halloween-themed confections. No surprise, Sweet Mickey’s display window gets into the seasonal spirit.
Yes, it’s a chain, but its mall-centered locations (including Bellevue Square and Alderwood Mall) are pretty enough to stand out from a sea of shops. Each one is filled with all sorts of gummies, caramels, truffles, and lemon sandwich cookies. The sweet shop also goes big on retro candies, like Charleston Chew and Pixy Stix, plus international candies including (but definitely not limited to) Pocky, and Boozy Bears, which are exactly what the name implies. Current seasonal items include a pumpkin s’more bark, and a take on quarantine’s infamous hot cocoa bombs that explode fall spices.
