A Sweet Opening For Got Candy

Have the courage to eat a cricket in a lollipop?

If so, then Got Candy is the place for you.

The new candy store on Deer Park Ave. in North Babylon across from Marion G. Vedder Elementary School is offering this unique challenge to its customers, and as of Wednesday, 18 brave souls have eaten a cricket and been placed on the store’s Wall of Fame.

“We have had kids come in just to see the crickets and they have taken pictures and sent them to friends,” said Jen Groh, the store’s owner.

They key with the cricket challenge is that participants must complete the task prior to leaving the store, which keeps customers shopping.

But for the less adventurous, Got Candy also features a broad selection of other sweet treats for those who are looking for a sugar fix mixed with a taste of nostalgia.

A North Babylon resident, Groh said one of her goals was to have a candy selection that offered something for everyone young and old.

“I want people to walk in the store and forget the outside world for a few minutes,” she said. “It’s my goal to offer everyone a little bit of happiness.”

The store’s selection includes everything from an array of Wonka products to well-known national brands and the old favorites such as Mary Jane’s and various gummy products. She listed her one-pound gummy cupcake, Han Solo in carbonite chocolate bar and Dum Dums lollipop tree as her store’s most unique items.

“My motto is, ‘we offer the candy you loved as a kid and the candy your kids will love,’” she added.

Having spent 15 years as a law librarian, Groh said she always had a desire to open her own business and decided to make the move after the passing of her mother.

“That showed me just how short life is,” she said. “Fate then smiled on me when this location opened up. It’s close to the elementary school and high school and the middle school is just around the corner. I had the funding to do it so I decided to take a leap of faith.”

Got Candy celebrated its grand opening on May 12 and Groh said she has been “overwhelmed” by the response.

“I’m not a teary-eyed girl, but I have cried a few times over the past couple days,” she added.

From a competitive standpoint, the closest candy store to Got Candy is Candy Lane in West Islip and It’s Sugar at Tanger Outlets. There are also a few chocolate specialty shops located in Babylon Village. But Groh is not worried about competition.

“I’ve had some people tell me that some other stores are very expensive,” she said. “Our selection is priced to offer something for everyone. If a kid comes in with five cents or 10 cents, they can buy a piece of Bazooka or a Dum Dums lollipop.”

Although Groh’s store has only been open a few days, she is already thinking of adding other products and services. Among them is a room for birthday parties, adding a cupcake-making section and possibly adding an old-style soda fountain.