Economy Candy

108 Rivington Street, New York, NY - (800) 352-4544

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Posted By Bill Homan on 1/9/2008 5:16:00 PM

I've been going to Economy Candy almost since I moved to the city four years ago, after a friend put me on to it. They've been around since 1937 and have just about any kind of candy imaginable. The thing is, there are a lot of "candy shops" in the city, but most of them also sell milk, beer, and cigarettes, or they sell the bulk candy in the drawers along with lotto tickets and the spider webs in some of the drawers (I wish that was a joke).

This is the real deal. Economy is a small store and no space is wasted. Candies are stacked everywhere; this place is definitely not for the claustrophobic. The words one uses when shopping here are "excuse me." They also have the biggest collection of oversized Pez dispensers I have ever seen, many with a Simpsons, Star Wars, or Disney theme.

Economy has tons of candy: huge bags, boxes, by the pound, etc., Burger Mallows, Tootsie Pops, Red Vines, and Wacko Wax; bulk bins with Squirrel Nut Zippers, Brach's candies, peppermint discs, and much, much more! They have a section called Old Time Favorites. This is the candy of my childhood and it brings me back to the concession stand at my Little League games. There are Nerds, Charleston Chews, Pixy Stix, Abba Zabbas, Uno Fun Dip, Big League Chew, and Skybars just to name a few.

Looking up on the walls, one can see the collection of vintage candy signs and boxes and gumball machines. Just some of the boxes I saw: Milky Way, Butterfinger, Mounds, Baby Ruth, Fifth Avenue, Oh Henry, and Black Crows. Huge blocks of halvah, gallon jugs of Fox's U-Bet syrup (used to make classic NY egg creams), Bazzini nuts and a huge selection of Jelly Bellies... Economy has just about any candy you can think of and the staff is great if you can't find something (which is possible with everything stacked so high).

I met the owner, Jerry Cohen, and he couldn't have been nicer. It's always crowded and busy, especially at the holidays, so I was hesitant to start taking pictures. I asked him if it was OK and he said it was $5 for the first one, $3 for each one after that... then he broke into a huge smile and said that people are always taking pictures. A great place to grab a nosh while walking through the Lower East Side.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

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"Goldenberg's are probably my second favorite all-time candy. Seen mostly under the label ''Chew-ets'' nowadays, it's nice to know I can still get the old label here on the Lower East Side."
Bill Homan

"Dark chocolate Clark bars were a new one to me and quite good."
Bill Homan

"Cherry Mash and Idaho Spud are two brands that turn up in small shops here and there but nearly impossible to find in larger markets."
Bill Homan

"Rocky Road bars are a chocolate and marshmallow classic from California that are hard to find here on the East Coast."
Bill Homan

"I was so happy to find that Economy carried Big Hunk, a taffy-like nougat bar filled with crunchy roasted peanuts. I come here to get my fix of so many hard-to-find classics like this."
Bill Homan

"Fruits and nuts in glass jars by the pound and gallon jugs of Fox's U-Bet syrup."
Bill Homan

"My favorite section: the Old Time Favorites. The candies of my youth. "
Bill Homan

"Have you ever seen Pez dispensers this big?"
Bill Homan

"Economy keeps their signs and boxes from days gone by."
Bill Homan

"A Lower East Side institution."
Bill Homan