This is old fashioned candy store schtick and I walked in prepared to hate it for over the priced hype that I was certain it would be. After all ,Lolli and Pops is a chain of about 30 stores placed in malls in the U.S. and when merging with (well, taking over) Powell's chain of candy stores in 2014, I expected more of that format. Not to mention I so dislike malls that it makes me cranky to have to go to them to shop. But the vintage yet slightly upscale exterior (directly across the way from Sees by the way) drew me in for a look see. And then the friendly greeting at entry from a delightful young woman, dressed in the uniform garb of white shirt, black bow tie, black and white striped apron and straw hat as one imagines an old fashioned candy store employee would wear turned me from "harrrumph..." sourpuss into sweetened up fan of Lolli and Pops.
WARM WELCOME & SERVICE
Her name is Rachel and she asked my husband and me two simple questions as she greeted us.
"Welcome to Lolli and Pops! Is this your fist time in?"
When we answered yes, she continued, "Would you like a tour to learn more about what we have in the store for you?"
See how that works? She was so engaging that atlhough I was thinking I could see all I needed to see of a chain candy store on my own thank-you-very-much, I said sure, a tour would be swell.
She responded she could even offer us some samples as we toured through. Hang on to that...the samples thing...it will come up again. And as we started our tour she asked about what we liked. Remember the "...for you" comments in her greeting. It continued through the tour, "Do you enjoy chocolate? Do you prefer milk or dark?" and she would vector us to some yummy things to see.
It is worth noting every young man and woman in the store, because they were all that on the day of our visit, was equally as warm and helpful in serving customers. They can answer all your questions and they're happy to make recommendations for their favorite things.
That great service makes one want to buy things. It is a key piece of retail sales strategy these owners understand. Well done.
STORE LAYOUT
If you're familiar with Dylan's Candy Bar (the now small chain started with the NYC flagship candy paradise by Ralph Lauren's daughter) Lolli and Pops is a bit like that, although much smaller in scale and without the chaos and pretension of Dylan's.
The store is laid out logically if you're on a hunt but still enticingly to encourage gathering if that's what you'd like to do.
At the front of the store you'll find the nostalgia section of candy bars you'll remember from childhood...a la Powell's...no matter how young at heart in years you may be.
To the right is a proper chocolates and sweets case with delights like truffles and macaron.
Left and right and all around are bins with chocolate delights, like the dark chocolate covered espressso malt ball we sampled, and also premium candy bars made by others as well as those made by Lolli and Pops.
They even have a section specifically for Asian sweets, a section for popcorn, and a section for novelty and old fashioned sodas.
Straight ahead is the "mascot" figure that appears in all Lolli and Pop stores, and it is a big, Oscar-esqe golden "gummy" shaped bear. The room in which it holds court is full of gummies and sours and jellies and licorice from all over the world. Salted licorice coins from Germany. Sour cherry belts from Spain. And if you're the type, like me, who when presented with a bag of gummy bears pulls out all the pineapple ones to eat, this is your place because it offers pineapple gummies all on their own.
And here we come back to samples. As she introduced us to the gummy room Rachel told us, "Sampling is encouraged." That's the verb she used.
"If you just ask me or..." and here she nodded to her colleague dressed in Lolli & Pops garb standing at the ready in the gummy room, "...or Scott, we'll be happy to help you with a sample from the bins".
As if on cue a mom and her adult daughter said to us, "Try the Jalapeno gummy." So we did. Wowza! But it is inevitable that offered a sample of something leads to the buying of it or something else. Which is a darned good reason to have the nice monitor there to assist.
TO KEEP IT FRESHENED UP
Products are added to and rotated out of the store on occasion so that things stay interesting.
THE GIFT THAT FITS EVERYONE
Lolli and Pops has a number of different containers that can be filled with the goodies of your choice for gifting. And a unique item is a cool little gift box sized just right to hold one of their specialty premium chocolate bars, that opens like a book to reveal the chocolate, a greeting and a space where you can tuck a L&P gift card in the amount you choose.
For the record, I prefer dark chocolate...with sea salt and almonds is a good start...and I can find lots to choose with any amount of gift card you want to tuck in. :-) read more