In Chicago, Dylan’s Candy Bar Sweetens the Magnificent Mile

By Robin Mather

Snugged into the ground floor of Tribune Tower at 445 N. Michigan Avenue just north of the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois, Dylan’s Candy Bar is a sugar-scented wonderland with 2,300 kinds of candy. Pop music – every song with a candy theme – plays on the store’s sound system. The walls are covered with candy-themed graphics. It’s noisy, somewhat overwhelming, and a lot of fun.

On a recent visit to the two-story confection palace, a posse of tiara-wearing princesses, all about six years old, formed whirlpools and eddies as they explored the store after a birthday party. Their bemused mothers followed them around, indulging the girls’ desires to see every single thing the store has to offer while imploring them not to touch.“They just had a party in one of our two private rooms,” explains Marty Weisenburger, one of the Chicago store’s sales managers. “We host a lot of special events here, and in the café.” Customers can choose from a number of themed parties, or set their own theme if they wish, he says. Children’s parties feature candy-themed games, while bridal and baby showers feature candy-inspired “mocktails.” Dylan’s Candy Bar has partnered with Duff’s Cake Mixes to create another themed party – a two-hour do-it-yourself cake decorating celebration.

The café features finger foods such as chicken tenders and fries, salads and sandwiches as well as a variety of beverages, including Pop Rocks-rimmed glasses of blue lemonade garnished with gummy sharks. Customers can also sign up for the individual or group “Tour de Sweet” at $50 per person, which includes a personal “candy tour specialist,” tastings of candy, fudge and ice cream, a Dylan’sCandy Bar water bottle, games, customized chocolate bars, a 10 percent discount and a one-pound “candy spree.”

The Chicago store does 500 to 1,000 transactions a day, says Weisenburger. “That’s on a slow day,” he says. “On a busy day, it might be two to three thousand transactions.”

The center of the store’s first floor, just past the company’s iconic giant lollipop tree, features a circle of by-the-pound candies, many of them old favorites such as Smarties and Swedish fish. Customers can grab a bag and take as much as they wish. Then they carry the bag (or bags) upstairs to pay for them, guaranteeing that they’ll see more confections on their way to the cashiers. The walls of the curved staircase are lined with more candies, as is the aisle leading to the cashiers at the back of the second floor.

Upstairs, you’ll find more candy, including a huge jelly bean station, many more suckers, and a fudge station with a dozen or more flavors ranging from basic (chocolate with walnuts) to more exotic (dulce de leche). The fudge isn’t made on premise, Weisenburger says, but it is always freshly made. Elsewhere upstairs, there are displays of candy-themed merchandise, including everything from strollers, bags and backpacks to kids’ clothing, stationery, Dylan’s Candy Bar branded items and various types of candy-themed toys, including spinners.

Dylan’s Candy Bar was founded in 2001 by Dylan Lauren, the daughter of fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The flagship New York store, at Third Avenue and 60th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, “transports its guests to a modern-day version of Willy Wonka’s factory the moment they enter,” the company’s website, www.dylanscandybar.com, says. In addition to the Chicago store, which opened in November 2014, the company also has stores in Los Angeles, Miami, and East Hampton.

Guests who didn’t get their fill of candy at the store can do mail order from the website when they get home or sign up for a three- or six-month or year-long subscription box. The company employs nearly 60 full-time employees, Weisenburger says, with more in the summer, which is the store’s busiest season.“It’s a good place to work,” says Weisenburger, who started as a seasonal employee and was eventually hired as a full-time employee.

The company announced in late June that it will close the Tribune Tower store in mid-August and move to a short-term space at 663 N. Michigan Avenue because developers who purchased Tribune Tower to create condominiums in the Chicago landmark need the space. The company has not yet decided where it will locate permanently, the Chicago Tribune reported, but company spokesman Dana Rodio said, “We are hopeful we can remain in the North Michigan Avenue area.”