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Willy Wonka once sang to his young golden ticket winners, “Come with me and
you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.” His expansive chocolate factory
featured unbelievable sweets, a river of milky chocolate, and more to see,
touch and taste than its guests could ever experience in a day. It was an
amazing Technicolor candy world with no real world equivalent.
But upon entering the New York sugar staple Dylan’s Candy
Bar, located at 60th and 3rd Avenue, families will find a colorful,
candy-filled oasis that’s even better than Wonka’s chocolate factory—because,
of course, it’s real.
“I felt like there should be a place that had the magical feeling of being in a
candy land,” says Dylan Lauren, CEO and founder
of Dylan’s Candy Bar,
which opened in New York City in
2001. In the 10 years since its debut, Dylan’s has expanded to include other New
York locations in East Hampton
and Garden City’s Roosevelt Field Mall, as well as in Houston,
Texas and Orlando,
Florida.
Today, Dylan’s Candy Bar boasts more than 7,000 edible
treats and specialty sweets from around the world, ranging from life-sized
Hershey’s Kisses and endless supplies of M&Ms to Gummi Bears (20 different
kinds, in fact!) and nut-free, sugar-free and gluten-free treats.
Lauren, the daughter of famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren
and author Ricky Lauren, grew up with an eye for style, aesthetics and artwork.
But after watching the classic film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” at
age six, she also had a taste for candy.
A self-proclaimed “true candy-aholic,” Lauren was studying art history at Duke
University when she realized that
candy stores nationwide were lacking in creativity, color and pizzazz. “I felt
like all the candy stores were boring and not colorful, and the candy wasn’t
fun,” she says. Lauren’s initial idea was to create a party space filled with
pop art and fun sculptures created by artists working with oversized chocolate
and candy, but her vision soon evolved into a colorful candy retail emporium
that doubled as an event space.
In dreaming up and designing Dylan’s Candy
Bar, the pop art enthusiast drew
inspiration from favorite artists like Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Claes
Oldenburg. “They pay a lot of attention to the colors, fonts and graphics, and
I love that,” she says.
Lauren was also inspired by family destinations like Disney
Land, F.A.O. Schwartz, The NBC
Store and Nike Town,
which she says “have a real experience to them.” Similarly, when designing
Dylan’s, Lauren always kept the shop’s aesthetic value in mind. “We pay a lot
of attention to not just how good the candy looks, but how it’s packaged and
presented as well,” Lauren says.
When families enter Dylan’s, they’re instantly struck by the
store’s bold colors, the incredible candy staircase (named The Staircase To
Candy Heaven), the sounds of sugary sweet tunes pumping through the speakers,
and of course, the tantalizing smell of chocolate and fresh-baked sweets wafting
from the customized cake and dessert buffet area.
However, this month Dylan’s regulars will notice an exciting addition to the
shop’s amenities in the newly renovated café and party room, located on the
upper level. The café will feature gigantic cupcake booths—similar to carousels—in
pink, purple, yellow and blue, which will seat private parties of eight to 10
people. Meanwhile, smaller groups can sit at blue, red and yellow
gumball-inspired tables, with coordinating chairs in marshmallow white. At the
café, children will be able to indulge in brownies and cupcakes, enjoy fun
activities like Licorice Limbo and bubble gum-blowing contests, or color their
own bags and umbrellas.
Many parents may think of Dylan’s as solely a heaven for
kids, but Lauren insists that the shop (which has enjoyed such high-profile
guests like Michelle Obama, Janet Jackson, Madonna and Steven Spielberg) is
adult-friendly, too, as the shop’s average customer is actually 27 years old. “Everyone
has a sweet tooth—or a salty tooth— so we tend to attract the kid in the adult
who wants a fun place to shop,” she says. In addition to its impressive array
of treats, t-shirts, sweatpants, gift baskets and classic games like Candyland,
the colorful space also sells candy-themed apparel, accessories, spa products,
and jewelry. And Lauren says licensing more products is in the works, including
party stationery, party goods, party-on-the-go kits, and even a candy stroller
with partner Maclaren’s.
The bar also hosts many events for adults and kids alike,
whether it’s for an art show, a corporate party for the 21-and-over crowd (the
shop has a liquor license), a launch for musician Prince’s own candy bar, or a
celebration for Barbie’s Fiftieth Birthday. “It’s fun just walking in the store
and coming back season after season to see what we’re doing next,” says Lauren.
For example, in February the store hosted a Ken and Barbie-themed Valentine’s
Party, in April it will focus on the Easter season, and come fall, will
transition to feature back-to-school products.
When
she’s not working on finding boutique specialty candy makers, designing
beautiful packaging and party spaces or picking healthy alternative treats for Self magazine readers with a sweet tooth
in a regular column, Lauren enjoys her favorite candies, which include
marshmallow fluff, divinity and licorice.
“My life has always been inspired by
the colors and sweetness of candy,” Lauren says. “As I walk through the stores
myself, I still feel a rush at bringing this all to life for our customers.”
Dylan’s Candy Bar is located at 1011 Third Ave, 646-735-0078,
dylanscandybar.com.
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JOIN US FOR AN EASTER EGG AND CANDY CELEBRATION!
One of the world’s largest candy stores will become the backdrop for
a fun-filled Easter event on April 17th, when Dylan’s Candy Bar hosts the 1st
Annual Great Tail Hunt, of which we are a media sponsor. At the event, children can sign up
to be a part of the official search team and hunt for Easter eggs surrounded by
gumdrops, lollipops, candy and chocolate, competing to win—what else—candy!
Guests will also be able to enjoy breakfast with Vanilla the Bunny, take
pictures with Chocolate the Bunny, construct their own jelly bean mosaics and
more. The event will take place from 9 a.m.
to 11 a.m. Tickets are $50 (includes
accompanying adult). Registration is highly recommended. For more information
and to register, visit www.newyorkfamily.com/dylans.
