Sweet Summer in the City

Sockerbit: 89 Christopher Street, NYC

I recently heard of two candy shops downtown and decided that my family should spend the morning checking them out.  Our first stop was Sockerbit in the West Village (probably my favorite neighborhood in Manhattan).  I learned about this shop from a Martha Stewart Blog Post.  Sockerbit is a candy shop that specializes in Swedish Candy...or in other words, gummy candy.  It is a striking, all white store with rows and rows of colorful candy.

My husband, son and I were in heaven.  Though it was a little tricky keeping my son's little fingers out of the bins.

The candy we purchased was delicious and the people who worked there were very knowledgeable about their selection.  We will definitely be back.

Sockerbit window display

Next we walked about a mile to PapaBubble located at 380 Broome Street in Soho.  PapaBubble is a candy store that makes handmade hard candies and lollipops.  

Their kitchen is right in the shop and you can watch as they layer and role the warm candy into beautiful creations.  When we were there they were making red, white and blue candy that said "Queens" for their borough candy mix.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Nautical candies

Test tube candies....great gift idea!

Many of their candies are available for mail order on their website, so you don't have to live in NYC (or one of the many European cities where they have their storefronts).  Papa Bubble also makes custom candies.  My understanding is that you have to buy a pretty substantial amount (about 100 small bags is the minimum), but they would certainly make a memorable party favor.