Economy Candy

Yesterday we cruised down to the lower east side before going to see Peter Pan. It is unbelievable how the lower east side has been transformed. There is still the flavor of "old new york" when you ramble through the streets. The storefronts are full of new retail entrepreneurs. Tons of new stores, new restaurants. Cutting edge stuff. I am looking forward to a warmer day to walk around and really enjoy the neighborhood. I have not done that since last spring and the growth in less than one year is huge.

Yesterday we had a mission. We went to Economy Candy to get some goodies before the theater. In general, I never do that but today we had time to kill and figured why not. What a place! Among the new stores sprouting along the street, is this gem of a candy store that was started in post-Depression era. The place was packed.

I could have spent hours in there. Floor to ceiling candy of every kind. It is overwhelming. Huge Pez's, rope of licorice tied together, 10 lb. bags of jolly ranchers (I bought that for my husband's office), high end chocolate bark, caramels, chocolate covered pretzels, candy necklaces, reese peanut butter cups. It's all there.

Personally, I prefer the old world cutting edge feeling of Economy Candy than the fancy clean organized Dylan's Candy Bar on the upper east side.

If you are in the neighborhood, stop by. Grab a sandwich at Katz's deli around the corner and walk over to Economy Candy for dessert. While you are at it, do some window shopping. This is the area of town where trends are being created. Perhaps Economy Candy was a store before its time.