Sep. 30, 2009 - Issue #728: Fall Style 2009
Coney Island Candy
Whyte Ave candy store trades in nostalgia
I walk in, and at first notice how clean and well-lit this store is. Despite offering a huge selection, the space and the displays don't seem cramped or crowded. This store really hams up the nostalgia factor, trying to create a feeling of an old-timey midway's candy store.
The appearance definitely achieves this theme—nice touches include the carousel horse rising out of a bin of candy, the posters for "freak shows" hanging at the back and the large picture of the Coney Island fair grounds in the 1940s gracing the back wall. Unfortunately, the music playing in the background doesn't quite fit the atmosphere—Nelly's "It's Getting Hot in Here" greets me when I first enter.
I examine some shelves offering a bunch of novelty gifts that range from silly to just plain bizarre—this is certainly a good place to check out if you're looking to buy a joke gift. For instance, if you know someone who likes toast or beef steaks, you can get that person a pack of bandages shaped like those food items ($6.89). And what would a novelty shop be without whoopee cushions ($4.49)?
Moving on, I approach the counter, where I order a small chocolate-dipped soft ice cream ($2.50), otherwise known as a "Small Dipped Coney." Love the name; don't like the product. The chocolate dip tastes waxy and low-quality, and trying to describe the ice cream's flavour is like trying to describe a bald man's hair colour: it's difficult when there's nothing to describe.
Okay, so I'd go elsewhere on Whyte for ice cream. That's fine, because there's so much else to get here. I admire the many shelves of colourful candy, and I need a bit of time to select something. Sours are always a classic ($1.99 / 100g). At the same price, I can also get some wine gums. But I keep looking, hoping to try something completely new, which is possible, even in this place of nostalgia—the store announces its new products with signs, which is helpful. Still, I walk past the jelly beans ($3.49 / 100g), and I almost cave. Of course, with so many flavours available, I probably wouldn't know which ones to pick, so I keep going.
I realize that I had passed another section of novelty gifts, but these ones are a bit more risqué than the ones at the front. If there is an "adult" area of the store, where the products are bound to offend someone, this is it. There's a Gaydar key chain ($9.99), for instance. And hanging just above a row of Skittles packages is a Weener Kleener Soap Ring ($9.99), which promises "clean fun" for couples. To cleanse myself, I opt for a Merciful Mint Breath Spray ($5.29), which claims to wash away the sins of "liars, cheaters and wrong-doers." Personally, I just want to freshen my breath after that ice cream.
So I pick up the breath spray and keep looking, getting a good laugh at seeing an Electronic Yodelling Pickle ($17.99). It's one of the oddest and funniest novelties that I've ever seen.
I look around a bit more, and find a new product, a chocolate bar called Good News ($1.59), meant to be a celebratory snack. I get a faint hint of something that tastes like an Eat More bar, but then the moment passes. I wish that I had gone for the jelly beans after all.
Finally, it's time to try the breath spray. And we have a winner! One light spray—the recommended dosage for a "foul mouth"—gives my mouth a cool, minty taste, one that actually lasts for quite some time. I'm refreshed and cleansed.
Candy stores are fun. And Coney Island Candy is, too. I know where I can go to find some silly gifts, along with many different kinds of candy. And I probably won't wait until after Halloween to return. V
Mon (11 – 6); Tue – Sat (11 – 9); Sun (12 – 6)
Coney Island Candy
10345 - 82 ave, 780.438.9003
More info about Coney Island Candy →
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