My older sister and I are similar in that we share a love for bulk candy stores. From her Jelly Belly fetish to my affinity for chocolate, we always keep each other updated on our latest candy escapades. She has even coined the term ""candy belly:"" the stomachache you get from indulging too much. Let's just say I've had my fair share of candy belly this weekend. Not only was it Halloween, but it was also the opening weekend of State Street's latest novelty, Campus Candy.
Campus Candy is a brightly-lit, oval shaped store featuring walls of endless candy, including essentially every color M&M, Sixlet, and a variety of chocolate covered treats. You can also find your standard gummies, Sour Patch, Swedish Fish, licorice, and dozens more. But Mark Tarnofsky, the store's owner, stresses, ""We ain't just candy.""
Tarnofsky is in the process of opening more Campus Candy stores, with his original store in Bloomington, Indiana on Indiana University's campus. It seemed ridiculous to him that there are countless bars, pizza places, and sandwich shops on college campuses, but not a single store that satiates a students sweet tooth. Thus, Campus Candy emerged as his reaction to this unmet need.
Madison was the ideal place for him to open his next store: ""[Madison] is charming; we get a sense of great synergy between the school and the city,"" he explains. ""We love college towns, but we also love colleges surrounded by a city."" Madison's community, its unique Big Ten environment and status as the state capital intrigued Tarnofsky.
From my experience this weekend, I expect success both campus-wide and within Madison's greater community. Campus Candy offers you the unique opportunity to select exactly what you want and how much of it you buy; all candies are measured per quarter pound. Be careful to control yourself though: at $2.89 per quarter pound, candy adds up quickly.
When I spoke to Tarnofsky, he told me he envisions his business as providing a true experience for the customer. Personally, I can happily say that he has achieved his intention, as I spent half and hour there browsing with my friends. Basically, he wants Campus Candy to be a place where students and families can enjoy each other's company. With free WiFi, flat-screen televisions, and tables and chairs, the store is more than you bargain for at first glance.
My personal favorite was the frozen yogurt. Yes, not only candy, but fat-free frozen yogurt is served. There's something for everyone: whether you're looking for tart or sweet. There are special toppings for the yogurt, including any choice from the entire store. It's not fat-free once you dump chocolate-covered cookie dough on top, but hey, you can indulge in a little something sweet with a more-healthy alternative.
I see Campus Candy as a good stop on the way home from the library. I am a firm believer that hard studying deserves a worthy reward, and this store provides a stress-free atmosphere to eat a few cares away and give you a little sugar buzz (but hopefully not candy belly). So take a break, because you don't even need a golden ticket as an excuse to enter.
