Economy Candy
Economy Candy
108 Rivington Street between Ludlow and Essex
Streets
800 352 4544, www.economycandy.com
Started in the midst of the post-Depression era when candy still
came in barrels, Economy Candy is a rickety little Lower East Side spot owned
by Jerry Cohen, a grizzly New York City native with an auctioneer's voice and
an attitude to match. This vintage candy warehouse brims lower east side floor
to ceiling (literally-a stepladder is required) with jawbreakers, licorice
whips, chocolate-covered raisins, root beer barrels, Chiclets, Pixy Stix,
kosher gourmet jellybeans, and other Willy Wonka-like delicacies. A favorite of
Jerry Lewis, Red Buttons, and Tony Curtis, Economy Candy was described by
Gourmet magazine as "the penny-candy store elevated to an art form."
Other favorites include rock-candy swizzle sticks (red, blue, amber, yellow,
pink, and green), Jordan Almonds, Atomic Fireballs, candy necklaces, eighteen
kinds of halvah, chocolate-covered pretzels (milk, dark, and white), and Pez in
every imaginable size and form. In fact, the only candy you won't find here is
Chunky. "It's my favorite," says Cohen. "I don't sell it because I'd eat it all
day long." At least the man shows some restraint.
Dany Levy
Dany Levy
is the founder and editor in chief of Daily Candy, a daily e-mail newsletter
dedicated to fashion, trends, and deals of the day.
