Late this past summer, my girlfriend did me a huge favor and watched my girls for the day so I could get some work done. This wasn’t the first time, and I am sure it won’t be the last. 🙂 I was able to get so much accomplished that day and was very grateful. We have been helping each other out for years and our “token of appreciation” has always been to switch off kids. Nobody is keeping score, ha, secretly we are, a girl needs her time!
I decided to pick her up a “token of appreciation” this time. I stopped by Candy Girl Confections on my way to her house and found her perfection. When I told her I had something for her she balked and gave me a firm “No!” and said that she did for me what I do for her, you know the drill. Until … she saw what I had picked up for her, her fav gummy coke bottles wrapped in a cute tin. Score! (And while I was there I was able to snag some gummy frogs and chocolate covered espresso beans for moi!)
Candy Girl Confections, conveniently located in now the hippest shopping corner in Charlotte – Selwyn & Colony, has every kind of candy you could think of and extras to make the yummy candy into the perfect gift. Think hostess gifts, teacher appreciation, party favors, table decor, extra holiday gift for the friend that shows up at your doorstep unannounced with a gift for you, can you say “saved by the candy”!
I can guarantee you that there is nothing in your kid’s Halloween stash that comes close what Candy Girl Confections offers!
Smarty Charlotte, meet sweet Adria!
Adria Roberson’s Smarty Mom Stats:
Married to: Ryan
Child(ren): Coley, 6 and Kalen, 3
Years in Charlotte/Hood: 3 1/2, Myers Park and Ballantyne
Occupation: Owner of the sweetest shop in the QC, Candy Girl Confections
Typical Day?
My day always begins and ends with Ryan and the boys. Seeing the boys off to school, and putting them to bed every night are high priorities for me and I try my very best to make that time all about them. During the week, the boys eat pretty early, often before I get home from the store, so after the kids are tucked away in bed, Ryan and I try to have dinner together every night. We built Ryan an office in the back of my store, so in theory, we get to see each other all day long. But the truth is, dinnertime is often the only time we get to really connect with each other and have a complete conversation.
Candy Girl pretty much gets the rest of my time these days. The store is open 7 days a week, and I am there for all of them. It’s important to me that my customer’s early interactions with the brand include the personal touch and service levels that I envisioned when I created the concept. Plus, it’s a really happy place, so I absolutely LOVE being there. No one cries or complains in a candy store!
One of the best parts for me about the store is that there is no “typical day.” One day I’m making 25 Hello Kitty-themed party favors for a little girl’s birthday party, and the next day I’m visited by a woman who wants to make little fall-themed thank you gifts to give to her clients. Yet another day, I’m helping a pregnant woman pick out candy for her baby shower. Or, creating Rock Candy centerpieces for an event planner. And, in between, I get to watch the faces of both kids and “kids-at-heart” light up when they walk through the doors and see their favorite candy amongst our vast choices.
Funniest thing your child has said/done?
Our younger son, Kalen, is one of the funniest kids you will ever meet, in part because he’s got a quiet, and very mature confidence that he was absolutely born with. When he was just barely 3, his big brother Coley was at Swim Mac taking swim lessons. One day, while Coley was in the pool, Kalen and I went outside to the car to change his diaper. When we came back in, standing between us and the waiting area were about 30-40 male high school swimmers waiting to load up on a bus. Without skipping a beat, my little munchkin kept walking, looked up at the swimmers, waved and said, “What’s Up Guys,” and just walked right through (or more specifically, under) them.
Favorite activity as a family?
Coley has loved animals since he was born, so going to the zoo, aquariums, and petting zoos are some of our favorite things to do as a family. Riverbanks Zoo is our local favorite, but we’ve been to the zoo in Miami many times (we used to live there), Zootastic and Lazy 5 Ranch, as well as several in the New York area when visiting my family there.
Favorite for just you or “kid-free”?
I love going to see live music, live theater or going to the movies. We just saw India Arie live at the Fillmore and it was amazing!
“I could not live without…”
…anything peanut butter-flavored. I’m obsessed with Peanut Butter frozen yogurt, but if there were no consequences to it, I would probably just eat peanut butter straight from the jar all day long. Candy Girl has these bite-sized Peanut Butter Fudge Bites in the store right now and they are out-of-this-world!
Why a candy store? What makes Candy Girl different?
First and foremost, there are no candy stores in the greater Charlotte area with the kind of selection that we have at Candy Girl. But equally important in my view, Moms in the Queen City were in need of a good resource for party favors and unique, creative gifts at reasonable price points. Candy makes a great gift for kids and adults. It comes in a variety of flavors, colors, sizes and sensibilities. It can be elegant, kitschy, playful, silly, but it is always yummy and ALWAYS sweetens the day of the person receiving it. And, let’s face it, where else can you spend under $20 (even $5 or $10 is often enough to get something adorable) and get that kind of versatility and virtually guarantee a smile. Plus, we even have a kids corner with lots of toys, a giant chalkboard wall, and a table where the kids can sit and color, or eat their treats, so that we can help you customize your gift or favors without worrying that your kids will tear up the place (as a mom of two boys, I know all too well what that feels like).
Favorite candy?
Wow, that’s a hard one for me in light of how many choices we have at Candy Girl. The Peanut Butter fudge bites I mentioned before notwithstanding, I’d have to say that right now, my favorite candy is a strawberry licorice and vanilla cream chewy candy called Quirky from Maria Sharapova’s line of premium candy, Sugarpova. Not only is it yummy it’s also beautiful — each rainbow-colored piece melts in your mouth. Plus, she contributes some of the proceeds from her whole line to the Maria Sharapova foundation, which helps kids around the world achieve their dreams, so you can feel good buying it too!
Something that most do not know about you?
Virtually everything that I’ve done in my life, from running a mutual fund that focused on small and mid-sized retailers, to being a Mom, has led me to opening Candy Girl. In high school, I even worked for my great Aunt’s small business making floral arrangements out of her basement. Every gift basket, candy centerpiece, and even many of my in-store displays are influenced by the countless hours I spent making those arrangements look pretty. She passed away right before I came up with the idea for Candy Girl, but not a day goes by that I don’t use what she taught me in that basement 20-plus years ago.
You can find Candy Girl Confections at:
Candy Girl Confections
2910 Selwyn Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28209
704-733-9453
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1 comment
We absolutely love this place and Adria and her family really are the sweetest! My 3 yr old keeps asking to watch this video again and again, asking “Mommy, where’s the candy?” until we get to the end!