Candies, bonbons, sweets, or confections—no matter what you call your sweet tooth go-tos—they’re united by their sugary goodness.

Though some may view candy as kids’ fare, Dillon D’angelo – manager of the Richmond Road location of Gummi Boutique – asserted that candy has a universal and timeless appeal.

“We get a variety of people in the store, people from every walk of life,” he said. “Everyone likes candy, and I think Calgary definitely has developed a sweet tooth.”

Whether you’re stocking up for the upcoming season of trick-or-treaters or you’re looking to take your sugar highs to new heights, The Weal has rounded up the city’s greatest candy emporiums that will have you putting your dentist on speed dial.

 
Gummi Boutique
3919 Richmond Rd S.W. and 205 10 St N.W.

One of the city’s newer additions to its roster of candy purveyors, Gummi Boutique’s two locations provide a balanced mix of high-sugar goods with fun and novel items. The stores boast a wide variety of favourites such as Razzles and Fruit Stripe gum that can usually only be scored south of the border. Also available are some unusual items that have since struck a chord with its diverse clientele—like gourmet bottles of soda with extraordinary flavours such as peanut butter and jelly, bacon, and the orange-pineapple flavoured Kitty Piddle.

 
Jolly Goods Candy Store
24 High Street S.E.

This British-centric shop features an array of sweets brought in from across the pond, with about 90 per cent of its merchandise imported from the United Kingdom. Offerings include old-fashioned fudge, straight-from-the-source Cadbury chocolates in various sizes, and lollipops in a broad and exciting range of flavours. For the curious and daring shopper, jars of the savoury international favourites Marmite and Vegemite also grace the store’s shelves. Whether you’re up for something new, or you’re an English ex-pat, the foreign finds at this McKenzie Towne joint may be a perfect fit for you.

 
Freak Lunchbox
614A 17 Ave S.W.

An explosion of novelty items and cavity-causing sweetness, downtown’s Freak Lunchbox lives up to its name with every surface piled with kitschy merchandise. Childhood favourites such as Pez and candy cigarettes meet their match in the store’s contemporary offerings like cupcake-flavoured drink tabs and moustache mints. A fair dose of novel, humorous items provide balance to the store’s saccharine stash in the form of gag gifts such as their boxed emergency bowties and the comedy world staple: rubber chickens.

 
The Candy Kid
225 10 Street N.W.

Located in Kensington, The Candy Kid’s specialties lean more towards candies that are harder to find or have since lost their mass appeal. The shop carries obsolete favourites such as wax lips and chicken bones – items that generally don’t make appearances in today’s trick-or-treat bags. Candy classics in and of themselves, liquorice, salt-water taffies and lollipops are also available in an abundance of flavours, and the store’s use of antiqued barrels as candy bins is a nostalgic nod to the more vintage brand of candies that are on sale.

 
Bulk Barn
3508 32 Ave N.E.

Though it may not be a dedicated candy store, the Canadian franchise deserves an honourable mention as it features aisles dedicated to copious amounts of candies. As its name suggests, the sweet stuff is available in bulk format – allowing you to control how much (or how little) you want to walk away with. Whether you choose to take advantage of the store’s seemingly bottomless bins of sugar-laden goods for Halloween goodies or for your own personal stash is entirely up to you – but at least the franchise’s low prices won’t leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth.