UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

Candy Blitz offers old-school candy experience near college

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The vinyl polka dots on the walls come in all colors and sizes, just like the delectable candies that are organized in jars and cases throughout the shop.

Candy Blitz opened in June 2012 and is part of a select group of sweet shops in a town dominated by ice cream stores and frozen yogurt stands.

Candy Blitz co-owner Mat Allred said the goal of Candy Blitz is to present a wide array of candy in an environment that will make even Willy Wonka feel at home.

Yes, at certain times, customers can watch “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” while shopping for their favorite jellybeans, cupcakes and mouth-contorting sour candies.

Candy Blitz, located on 679 E. Tabernacle St., was a candy shop before Mat Allred and his wife and co-owner, April Allred, moved their business in, but there was work to be done to transform the shop.

“When we got it, there were dark brown walls, dark green carpet and it felt like a basement, so we just wanted to make sure it was bright, cheery and colorful,” Mat Allred said.

With help from April Allred’s parents, the walls were painted white with green and blue stripes running diagonally across the shop, vinyl polka dots were placed all over the walls, and vintage tins and jars were brought in to hold the candy. Mat Allred said a large part of the Candy Blitz experience is based on the fact it is different from picking up candy at superstores.

Customers can also purchase candy by the pound. First-time customer Trit Burrows said her initial trip to Candy Blitz was an eye-opener.

“Most stores don’t do candy by the pound; it’s usually all stacked on one shelf and isn’t in cute little racks and jars,” Burrows said.

April Allred said she embraces the cuteness of the shop, and her favorite part of owning Candy Blitz is seeing customers’ first reactions.

The Candy Blitz experience is a unique one, but Mat Allred said purchasing candy from the shop also makes sense because of the diversity and price of the shop’s inventory. Candy at the movie theater is expensive, and stores only carry a select amount of candy, but customers’ input goes into what type of products Candy Blitz has, such as cinnamon toothpicks and an assortment of sour treats hanging in bins on the walls.

“We think it will be great if people think, ‘Hey, why buy the candy at the movies? Let’s go get fun stuff we can’t get there [at Candy Blitz],’” Mat Allred said.

In the shop’s first five months, a base of frequent customers have begun coming in to meet their sweet needs. There is still one population the shop hopes to reach: Dixie State College students. Mat Allred said the location, one block away from DSC’s campus, was key in opening the shop where it is, but more students need to come experience Candy Blitz.

Burrows came into Candy Blitz to find candy for her sister’s baby shower, hoping she could find items that aren’t stacked in department store aisles. She wasn’t let down and left the store with many bubblegum-flavored products. 

Mat Allred said future goals for the shop are to bring more candies in that appease customers and make other interesting decisions to keep visitors coming back.

“You can see that kid-in-a-candy-store look here all the time,” Mat Allred said.