Candy Land

Local shops see sweet opportunities ahead

By Ellen Miller | Oct. 25, 2025

Leaves are turning and the shelves are stocked with Halloween sweets…but skip the chain store aisles this year and instead, get your sweet tooth fix close to home. Below, explore the offerings at local candy purveyors before the first trick-or-treater rings the doorbell.

Traverse City Natural Candy Store

Traverse City

Traverse City Natural Candy Store was founded not here in northern Michigan as you might suppose, but in California in 2007. Current owners Al Bennett and his family acquired the business from the founder in 2017 and moved it Up North.

“The business is holding steady so far. We are a small family business run by me, my wife, and our daughter,” says Bennett. “Our focus is offering candy made from 100 percent natural ingredients. We look to find equivalent candy to the most popular brands and candy types, only with 100 percent natural ingredients instead.”

What’s on the Shelves: “There are some innovative candy items in our offerings, but mostly what we have are items that are similar to the candy that people already know and love that was and still is made with artificial ingredients,” says Bennett. “Also, a key contributor to our business is that people buy our candy because they are trying to avoid something. We track about 50 dietary attributes for each of the 550+ unique products that we offer. And with the power of a computer, we can provide searching and sorting and filtering capabilities to customers on our website in order to make it easy for them to find exactly what we have available that meets their desired dietary preferences or requirements.”

Current Favorite: “Hollow chocolate Santas and hollow chocolate Easter Bunnies filled with gummies. Kids love them!”

Opportunities Ahead: “The current national push to eliminate artificial food colors is a big opportunity for our business. Everything we sell is already made with all natural food colors… so we don’t have to find new products or new suppliers or a new business model to line up to this push toward natural colors in food. We are already there.”

Luci & Carl’s Candy Cabin

209 Petoskey St., Petoskey

“I have always wanted to own a candy store; I guess you could say it was on my retail bucket list,” says Jennifer Shorter, the third-generation proprietor of Petoskey’s Grand Shorter’s Gifts.

In 2023, that dream became a reality. Luci & Carl’s Candy Cabin was created within the Petoskey retailer’s existing space.

“I was talking with my brother one day about business, and he asked how my dream of opening a candy store was coming, and I told him that the space I wanted to put it in hadn't become available,” Shorter remembers. “He reminded me that I already had a space in our own building that wasn’t creating revenue. After lamenting that I would have to change the interior to match my vision, he told me to call it the Candy Cabin and get started. That little shift in thinking made it all possible in my mind.”

The Candy Cabin is named for Shorter’s niece and nephew, who were in turn named after her grandfather (Grandpa Shorter) and his sister. “When we have opened new stores over the years, they have always had a name connection to someone in the family. It became a natural to name the candy store after my niece and nephew,” Shorter says.

What’s on the Shelves: “We source our candy from a huge variety of vendors, including local vendors like Cherry Republic and Shurm’s—they make the Michigan-shaped gummies that are delicious!—as well as others,” says Shorter.

Current Favorite: “Everyone definitely has their own ‘candy profile’ where they love hard candy, taffy, chocolate, spicy candy, or something else,” Shorter says. “We sell a lot of nostalgic candies, and always try to get requested candies in the store whenever possible. Hammond’s makes chocolate bars that are out of this world good. Midnight Snack is a family favorite, as is Pigs N’ Taters [bacon and potato chips in the chocolate bar]. We carry a variety of chocolate bars from England as well.”

Opportunities Ahead: “We love Halloween here at Luci & Carl’s Candy Cabin, and we are looking forward to celebrating with all the kiddos on October 25, during our downtown Petoskey Trick-or-Treat event. Then, we gear up for the holiday season with visits with Santa, The Grinch, and maybe even BigFoot!” Shorter enthuses.

Rocket Fizz

111-B E Front St., Traverse City

Tom and Heather Holmer both had careers before becoming candy retailers, but it was Heather’s work with international exchange students that drew them to candy specifically.

“The kids that came were amazing, and one thing they would come with was treats for the host families,” Heather recalls. The Holmers hosted around 10 high school exchange students over the years, and were introduced to many different kinds of international treats. “When we were talking about what to do next, Tom said what about candy, and what the kids have brought over the years?”

Seven years and four locations later, the Holmers are going strong.

What’s on the Shelves: Rocket Fizz sources from one main vendor, but has other smaller side vendors, including some local treats. “We do carry Northwood Sodas,” says Tom. “We recommend it a lot—it’s not just local, but a phenomenal soda!”

Current Favorite: “Right now the big thing with a lot of demand is Squashies. It was originally a British thing, but they do make them in the U.S. under the Smartees brand. They have a foam texture and cherry, vanilla flavors.”

Opportunities Ahead: “The new hot thing we’re seeing a lot of is TikTok trends. It’s tough to stay ahead of them, and they can decimate the supply chain overnight. It’s hard to try to forecast something that could go viral. We’re in an interesting stage with a lot of innovation starting to take place within candy, some driven by TikTok trends. They want candies to go viral so they come up with unique formulations,” says Tom. “Amos is really ahead of the curve on gummies; they came up with Peelers, a fruit gummy with a skin you can peel off. It’s fun, interesting, and some work.”