“Candy Department Store” Is a Thrill for Sugar Seekers

IT’SUGAR (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) is a store straight from your childhood dreams. Forget Willy Wonka’s factory, this is a place you’d want to win a golden ticket to visit. Now in 100 locations across the U.S., the retailer’s latest concept recently opened its doors in the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, as an escapist wonderland (shown throughout this article). It follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the American Dream store in East Rutherford, N.J., which is dubbed the first ever “candy department store.”

“At over 22,000 square feet and three storeys tall, our American Dream location embodies ‘retailtainment’ and is a platform from which to bring beloved candy brands to life,” says Ashley Mady, VP of Brand Development at IT’SUGAR.

This surrealness of the American Dream space begins at the entrance where a 60-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, made from more than one million jellybeans, flanks the doorway. Inside, a monochrome backdrop allows the candy’s neon and pastel colors to pop. The store is open plan, allowing for clear lines of sight and the ultimate in Instagrammable moments. IT’SUGAR Honolulu has the same effect, with its sharp black backdrop, larger-than-life candy characters and circular display tables creating flowing walkways around product.

The 18,000-square-foot Honolulu store includes larger-than-life props and decoratives, creating a memorable shopping experience. Courtesy of it’sugar

Scale in these stores is significant in making the customer experience immersive. There are more than 28 sugar tables on the shop floor, holding 450 types of candy. “We ignite all the senses, with the most important one being how we make our visitors feel,” says Mady. “We entertain through ridiculously funny campaigns, products and in-store encounters.”

Not simply a shopping experience, the store feels almost like a theme park. “We found creative ways to turn candy and snack brands into crave-worthy experiences,” Mady explains. These experiences appear in the N.J. store as the world’s first Oreo café and a shoppable lollipop garden, while the Honolulu location features these in addition to a Sour Patch shop alongside immersive offerings like a TikTok area and retro candy display.

The American Dream IT’SUGAR location in East Rutherford, N.J., aims to immerse customers through oversized props and tantilizing candy displays. 📷: Frank Oudeman

Experiential retail is well established by now, but brands like IT’SUGAR are setting their own trend through pure playfulness and the gamification of browsing and shopping. Appearing in already experiential spaces, like the open-air Ala Moana Center, only cements the candy store as a worthy entertainment destination in customers’ minds.

IT’SUGAR CEO and Founder Jeff Rubin says “IT’SUGAR’s mission is to provide an escape from everyday life.” These totally immersive stores go further, transporting customers to a wonderland.