DUMBO took one more step towards becoming the sweetest neighborhood in the city, now that Dewey’s candy shop has joined Jacques Torres, Almondine and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in the neighborhood down under the Manhattan Bridge.
The new confectionery caters more to candy-loving grown-ups than kids, stocking an armory of nostalgic treats like Wax Lips and Fun Dip in addition to standard fare like Snickers bars — and should fit in nicely with the high-end chocolatier, the French bakery and the creamery.
Alison “Dewey” Oblonsky, a petit, energetic veteran of Victoria’s Secret and Donna Karan opened the store for obvious reasons: “I was unemployed and didn’t really want to go back to the corporate world when it occurred to me, duh! Who doesn’t like candy?”
Oblonsky signed the least in December and, thanks to a lot of help from creative friends, she opened just one month later.
“It really is a home-grown operation,” she said. “A friend did the artwork on the shelves and designed the candy chandelier.”
Oblonsky, a DUMBO resident herself, dreams that shop might eventually become a sugary version of Cheers, a neighborhood hangout where people might just drop in for a candy bar and a chat.
Future plans include event hosting and stocking hard-to-find British candies, but in the meantime, Oblonsky can hardly keep her shelves stocked.
“I guess I underestimated the power of the gummy,” said Oblonsky.
Dewey’s Candy [41 Front St. between Pearl and Jay streets, (718) 422-1333].
