style
The candy is presented to customers with the same attention to
behind the scenes
There are over 1,200 varieties of sweets for sale at the Candy Jar.
style. No matter if you’re buying pounds of gourmet jelly beans or only a few gummy frogs, the Messinas package each purchase like a small, beautiful gift. And that’s because it is, Messina says. “If you’re going to have candy, then it is special, it is a treat. So we make it special by making the package pretty—otherwise, it’s just like grabbing Twizzlers from a convenience store.” Rounding out the store’s offerings are plenty of local and fair-trade sweets, a party room (where they’ve hosted myriad parties for “children” from four to 18), and counter service for genuine New Orleans– style snowballs, each crowned with a gummy on top. “Buying, receiving, or gifting candy should be special,” Messina says. “And the Candy Jar celebrates that fact.” j. netzer Counter service at Candy Jar includes New Orleans-style shaved sno cones, made with homemade syrups and served with a gummy on top.
six Candy Jar Facts to Sink Your Teeth Into 1. They carry artisan chocolate bars from Austin-based chocolatiers like Naked Fox Confections (try the salted caramel bar), Kiskadee Chocolates, and Maggie Louise Confections, among others . . . 2. . . . and they also carry 54 (count ’em!) flavors of salt water taffy. 3. The Wild Woman Truffle from Wiseman House (55% dark chocolate and two types of Belgium chocolate) is by far their most popular truffle. 4. Tiger’s Blood is the number-one-selling New Orleans-style snowball flavor, but close on its heels are Wedding Cake and Blue Bubblegum. 5. Younger patrons favor anything sour, squeezed out of a tube, or sprayed into their mouth. 6. The store opened last year at 10:00 a.m., on October 1, after pushing the schedule back two weeks—only to then find out that the time and date match a golden ticket from the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. tribeza.com september 2014
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