Peter Sachs and Steve Sobel opened Buzz Pop Candy Shop in downtown Hermosa Beach in late May.
“We have only been open for a short time, but we already have many regulars, even if a lot of them are only 10 years old,” said Sachs. “They say something along the lines of ‘I want to live here.’”
Sachs and Sobel grew up together on the East Coast and moved to California after college to go into the food retail business.
“Steve and I both have a big sweet tooth, especially for candy and taffy,” Sachs said. “We decided that opening a candy store wouldn’t distract us from our other jobs and would be really fun. So far people have been really supportive of the shop.”
The Hermosa Avenue store draws people in with its psychedelic yellow and green exterior, where they’re greeted by bright, yellow, polka-dot walls and seductive candy displays.
“Steve and I really tried to create that ‘60s and ‘70s theme in the shop. It’s supposed to take people back to a time when they were younger,” Sachs said.
“I really like the old sort of style that the store has,” customer Christina Harris said. “It’s bright, colorful, and makes me feel like I traveled back in time to the 1960s. There’s candy that I haven’t seen since I was a little kid.”
Buzz Pop sells everything from familiar favorites, such as Mallo Cups and Zots to classics like Pop Rocks and giant gummy bears.
They also have a large number of truly bizarre candies, such as bacon-flavored and cupcake-flavored mints and tequila lollipops with worms inside.
“The sodas and candies we order are based on what customers ask for. We also research what candies were popular back in the ‘60s and early ‘70s,” Sachs said.
The sodas include well-known products such as Dr. Pepper and root beer, in addition to odd varieties such as Bubble Up and Squamscot. All sodas are sold in glass bottles.
Buzz Pop is also known for its Salt Lake City taffy.
“We have 30 flavors, including chocolate, raspberry lemonade, banana, grape and buttered popcorn,” Sachs said.
Each day the shop brings in new treats. Recent additions have included “Super Mario” candy, and stick-on, candy mustaches.
“We get busier and busier every day. It’s amazing how much publicity we have gotten through word-of mouth.” Sachs said.
Although the thought of a candy store may evoke mixed reactions from those who are trying to take off a few pounds, Buzz Pop offers options that keep those who are health-conscious from feeling left out.
“Several candies here are sugar-free. Each and every one of our 50 soda flavors is made with cane sugar, which is much healthier than corn syrup,” Sachs said.
The store owners plan to market “turn-down taffy” to hotels and sell “Old School Candy Boxes” to local stores.
Buzz Pop Candy Shop is located at 1312 Hermosa Ave. in Hermosa Beach.
