Do you think it's possible to predict your personality based on the type of candy you enjoy eating? That's what Candyality believes. It's not a science or a mathematical formula, but owner Terese McDonald thinks that her store is nearly close to the mark on what candy says about you. This company has two locations in the Chicago area however, I visited the location in Michigan Avenue's North Bridge Shops which is also home to a Lego store residing on the same level ;). It makes for a great location because it is located in a "mall" atmosphere, so if you're with a group, there's a store for everyone to be occupied with while you take your trip through Candyality.The store is not very large, but it houses a numerous assortment of candies including bulk, retro, nostalgic, and chocolates. They also offer snack items and candy related products such as apparel, cupcake notebooks, pens/pencils, stickers, etc.
This store was featured in several articles including Candybuyer.com and Candyindustry.com, which gives a brief description as to how Candality came about. McDonald was originally a sales representative and manager for a company that sold luxury cosmetics and fragrances. To obtain the attention of her employees and fellow retailers during training sessions, she used candy to bring them together, which also to sparked their interest by relating their candy selections to their personality types. As her training method became more popularized, she was able to create her own candy wonderland and hone her confectionery skills to open shop.
It's amazing to see all the candies tucked inside this store. I wasn't aware of the history behind this store before browsing around, but I wish I had been so that I could find out my own candy personality. None of the store associates explained the store's background to me which I was disappointed about, so I'm not quite sure if they're specifically trained on the special skill of candy personalization. Most of the candies in their store brought a "homey" feel to them. It seemed more like the old fashioned kid in a candy store feel, without a real modern twist to it. One thing I did find interesting in the store was the different Jelly Bean art that was featured on the walls which were all created locally. They even had a Jelly Belly Obama piece! They also offer customizable gift baskets that can be created for any size. Usually candy stores only offer extravagant gift baskets that are outrageously priced however at Candyality, you are able to make baskets at any size (even a small assortment of bulk candy pieces). I usually don't like to take a large amount of candy at a time so these more individualized sized packages served as the perfect size for me to bring while I spent the rest of my day shopping around Michigan Avenue. :)
0 comments:
Post a Comment