The Sweet Shop NYC

I love when a wonderful new shop comes to my neighborhood (especially a sweet shop!), so you can imagine how excited I was to discover The Sweet Shop NYC. It is so many things all wrapped up into one: a candy store, an ice cream shop, a whimsical, Willy Wonka-esque wonderland, a retro soda shoppe…all seamlessly enveloped into a gorgeous little jewel box of a store. They have a plethora of amazing treats here, sourced from over 80 different high-quality vendors. Refreshingly, the owners care deeply about the quality of the items that they stock – the majority of their treats are made with high-quality ingredients and no high-fructose corn syrup. They’ve got small-batch, uniquely flavored ice cream, gelato, and sorbet from Oddfellows in Brooklyn and Il Laboratorio del Gelato, vegan ice cream from Alchemy Creamery, imported sweets from England and Sweden, and nostalgic items that you remember from your childhood, like Nerds, Pixie sticks, and Sugar Babies. Seeing those candies totally brought back memories for me of the candy store my Dad used to take me and my siblings to as kids. Here’s a peek into this sweet confection of a shop:

They specifically placed a ton of candy at eye level for all of the little Upper East Side kids who come in with their parents (I witnessed a few of the neighborhood kids in here while I was taking pics…to say they were excited would be an understatement!).

The decor in The Sweet Shop NYC is just as fabulous as all of the sweet treats. They scoured flea markets and tag sales for small vintage items, like wooden drawers and metal baskets, and nestled all of the packaged candy into them. I LOVE that! Just look at how much personality it lends to their displays. The little details like that are the things that make all the difference.

A metal bucket full of candy sits atop this amazing vintage wooden doll highchair. So cool (I actually had a doll highchair like that when I was a kid, so I totally loved this). Those little drawers next to it are part of an old sewing table that they found at a flea market and atop which rests their display of imported Swedish confections. The sewing table drawers are filled with penny candy!

This pastel pink scale is absolutely perfect, straight out of a 1950’s soda shoppe (and yes, it needs to be spelled like that).

The showstopper of the decor is this AMAZING chandelier which was HANDMADE by one of the owners! How incredible is that? It’s absolutely gorgeous, whimsical, and perfect.

She also hand-glued all of the glass candy pieces onto this fabulous hutch/cabinet that they found at an auction. 

They commissioned this fab mirror covered in candy which inspired a lot of the decor:

Chocolate aplenty.

Love the little candy plaques…details, details!

The lovely owner Kelly (aka “Kelly the Candy Man”) made me the yummiest ice cream float with grape soda…so amazing! I haven’t had grape soda in years, and this one was sans high fructose corn syrup. A perfect treat!

In this age of oversized portions and such, I really admire the fact that at The Sweet Shop they do their best to discourage over-consumption. They offer these tiny cones (SO adorable), as well as selling the loose candy in 1/4 lb portions (most candy stores sell at a minimum of 1/2 lb).

Those Suss caramels on the side there are handmade in small batches in New Hampshire, and I can attest to the fact that they are DELICIOUS. I think it’s so cool to have a shop where you can sample handcrafted treats from so many different places!

They really do have something for everyone here, from retro sweets, to super modern ice cream and gelato flavors, to sugar free and nut free items, and much more. The shop has a boutique-y vibe to it that can be a bit rare to find on the Upper East Side – it feels like something from the West Village or Nolita that was magically transported uptown. It is certainly is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and I foresee many visits to this lovely little spot in my future!
404 E. 73rd Street between York and 1st Avenue
Open Tues-Thurs 11:30AM-10PM
Friday and Saturday 11:30AM-12AM
Sunday 2PM-10PM
Closed Mondays

all photos by me

Leave a Comment

  1. Elana wrote:

    Thank you so much for the recommendation! I really want to go this weekend. You're pictures are beautiful!

    Published 8.18.14 · Reply
  2. Oh my candy! It might be in my best interest to avoid this place…but I won't be trying to hard to do so 😉

    Ashley
    All That Glitters

    Published 8.18.14 · Reply
  3. Leslie wrote:

    That looks amazing! I love the mirror and chandelier the best. I think my blood sugar may have just risen a few points!

    Published 8.18.14 · Reply
  4. Holly wrote:

    Ah this is so cute! I have a major sweet tooth 🙂

    Published 8.18.14 · Reply
  5. Jen wrote:

    This looks like a shop right out of Charlie and the Chocolate factory! I would be in serious trouble if this store was near me!

    Jen

    Published 8.19.14 · Reply
  6. Amanda wrote:

    I really want some candy now! I wish we had places like this in my area. I was just in Vegas and found the Sugar Factory at the Paris Hotel. That's what this reminds me of. Candy everywhere. Love it.

    Published 8.21.14 · Reply