As I type this, I’m singing the words of one of my favorite songs loudly to myself: 1972’s “The Candy Man” by the late and great Sammy Davis Jr.
The music is an appropriate accompaniment to this story, although the song might be more aptly titled, “The Candy Family” or “The Candy Shop” (this is leading somewhere, I promise, folks).
Santa Maria’s Town Center East is now the home to a brand new candy shop, one that doesn’t just serve up your typical gas station candy aisle treats. The Sweet Spot is a hub for specialty and unique candy and snacks from all over the globe, and the owners are bringing to town their vision of how to please your sweet tooth.
On a Thursday afternoon, Tracy Ruiz is busy navigating a stream of customers and phone calls from the media, but that’s not stopping her from having a great time.
“It’s a candy store; it’s always a fun place to be,” she said. “We play Disney movies, kids come in to watch and really enjoy it, and even the parents bop along to the music.”
The Sweet Spot landed in Santa Maria on Dec. 1, just in time to dole out holiday and Christmas treats. The shop is the brainchild of Ruiz; her husband, Rudy; and her mother-in-law, Donna Ornelas. The couple is no stranger to local business—they own World 1-1 Games right downstairs.
The Ruizes are both Air Force veterans who were stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base before making their home in Santa Maria. Ruiz’s husband had such a large collection of video games amassed during various deployments, they decided to open up the game shop at the mall. But it was another kind of experience that gave Ruiz the idea for The Sweet Spot.
On a trip to New York City, Ruiz visited Dylan’s Candy Bar, a popular and visually stunning candy shop owned by Dylan Lauren, daughter of legendary American sportswear designer Ralph Lauren.
“It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen,” Ruiz recalled. “It was just enchanting. They had music playing. The colors were so vivid everywhere. There were so many things to do. I just fell in love.”
Next thing she knew, Ruiz was back in Santa Maria talking her husband into opening a second business. She said she wanted to duplicate the magical feeling of walking around surrounded by beautiful candy and sweets and offer an environment that families and others could feel welcome in.
The decision to set up another business in the mall was also an important one to Ruiz.
“I’ve always believed—coming from Texas, where every city has a mall—malls are important to the community,” she said. “In our local mall in Texas, we had a lot of events and a lot of activities, like seeing the Easter Bunny. We thought if we’re going to be somewhere, we want to be at the center of the community, and that’s this mall.”
The shop is filled with a massive selection of candy, chocolates, sodas, gum, and specialty gifts from all over the world. The Ruizes were stationed in Japan, something that played a huge role in their merchandising process.
“We were there for three years, and we loved everything about it,” Ruiz said. “I knew we had to sell Japanese candy. That’s also where I got the idea for the colors; everything is very bubblegum-pop inspired.”
One of their most popular Japanese items is a product called Popin’ Cookin’, a microwaveable candy product that’s garnered a huge fandom on YouTube. The product contains packets of cake, gelatin, frosting, and more used to make things such as imitation sushi, birthday cakes, doughnuts, and pizzas. Some customers even make their own videos after buying the product in the store, Ruiz said.
“Kids have been watching YouTube videos to learn to do this, and so it’s really blown up,” she said. “They don’t care what it looks like; some candies look like sushi, and some look like toilets. And they absolutely love it, but it’s not just candy. It’s the experience.”
Another unique item with a weird internet cult following is green tea Kit Kats. Sugar arts are a huge part of Japanese food culture, and foods like Kit Kat bars take on new life as they experiment with bold and often baffling flavors (baked potato, hot sauce, and cough syrup, to name a few).
“They are traditional Kit Kats flavored with matcha,” she said. “I absolutely love them.”
If you’re a fan of fancy German chocolates (me!), The Sweet Spot has a wide selection from the European continent, as well as chocolates from Australia. One large display in the store is nothing but Mexican candy.
The store also sells a number of imported and specialty sodas, including Jones sodas in 10 different flavors, the Japanese Ramune soda, Love Potion #69, and a butterscotch soda, among many others. Ruiz said with retro candy tailored for older customers and trendy sweets to draw in teens, the selection is diverse enough to fit many tastes.
“It’s not just a candy store,” she said. “It’s a fun place. You can be silly, you can be funny, you can just have a good time. Even if you walk out without anything, you will be happy. It’s just a magic place.”
Don’t make Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose run, she is full of chocolate. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
Rebeccamendations
• Zaca Mesa Winery and Vineyards’ new 2016 Inceptive wine is a red blend that lives up to its name. The wine is a Rhone-style blend of syrah, mourvedre, and grenache and is very well balanced and flavorful. It’s a bit of a step outside the winery’s comfort zone, and it’s fun to see what they plan to do next. Visit them at 6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, to try for yourself.
• It’s not always easy to eat vegan or vegetarian, but for a million good reasons that’s what I’m doing and I’m finding lots of really great secrets and surprises on local menus. Did you know that Viet Kitchen has a selection of vegetarian meals, including vegetable pho (pictured right) It’s loaded with carrots, daikon, bok choy, broccoli, tofu, and red onions. Check out all their meatless (or meat-filled!) options at 3456 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria.
• Looking for romance on Valentine’s Day? Try SY Kitchen and Chef Luca Crestinelli’s special menu: Maine lobster with citrus, baby carrots, and mint; pappardelle with sweet onion, scallops, and caviar; arctic char with spring pea sauce, new potatoes, and truffles; and duck confit with Jerusalem artichokes, broccolini, and port. The special menu, which includes specialty cocktail offerings, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 14 at 1110 Faraday St., Santa Ynez.
• The Mushroom Festival may be over but some local restaurants are still feeling the love for our fungi friends. Scratch Kitchen in Lompoc recently whipped up a halibut with herb gnocchi and sauteed spinach dish (pictured left), which highlighted some beautiful local wild chanterelles. For more of what they do with local seasonal ingredients, visit 610 N. H St., Lompoc.
• Anthony’s Sports Bar is running a special for the jaw-dropping sandwich called the Massive Mac n’ Cheese. For $13.99 you can get a giant pile of delicous macaroni and cheese on a burger with bacon and a whole lot more. Don’t say they never gave you anything at 859 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 7, 2019.
