About May Globus
Vancouver City Editor May Globus is obsessed with the sartorial and all that surrounds it: art, design, culture, music and film. Oh, and she really likes writing about it, too. A left coast girl at heart, her Sweetspot finds just might show why the westside really is the best side.
Part Two: Dylan Lauren Interview
the view from vancity Vancouver
(Mar.24.10)
This is Part Two of Candy Land, my first post with Dylan Lauren
Me: You said everything is oversized. Is that so adults can go into the store and actually -- physically-speaking -- feel like a kid again?
Dylan: That's very interesting! I didn't think about that. That's the first time I've heard that...fascinating! I'd say it's to feel like you're in this fantasical [world] and to feel like you're not just shopping in an ugly store with shelving units and basic industrial things. I wanted it to be a designer-chic store.
Me: And what kind of candy do you sell? I know you have a little bit of old, a little bit of new. And how do you go about the candy research?
Dylan: Well, I -- by nature -- travel and eat everything and try everything, so that's one thing. I also go to all the candy trade shows and the fancy food shows. I travel throughout the world finding things. We change our store from season to season -- we have candy for all the holidays, so you can come in February and the store will be red and pink and white with hearts for Valentine's Day. You can come back for Easter, and it's all rabbits and pastels and eggs, the typical Easter [elements]. We have over 5,000 types of candy, from bulk candy -- which is the stuff you scoop -- to sour, gummy, salty and chocolate. Then we have the high-end gourmand chocolates, we have candy for kosher people, we have candy for peanut allergy people, we have the healthier stuff, we have the nostalgic category. Then there's candy gift baskets, candy jewellery, candy clothing. It's the candy lifestyle!
Me: I had one of your chocolate bars the other day. So you also have an in-house candy line?
Dylan: We develop a lot of the product now for our private label. My favorite thing is designing the packaging, actually, because I want everything to feel like it's a gift. It's for self-consumption, but it's also to give someone something. So everything you see is bright and pops out and has all our nine colors. We design the packaging, and we work closely with the factories. We tell them, "Oh, we like this but can you add a little more salt?" We tweak [the product to our] taste; we're not just putting our logo on things.
Me: Where does Dylan's Candy Bar go from here?
Dylan: My next thing is my book. It's called Dylan's Candy Bar: Unwrap Your Sweet Life, and it's going to be great. It's going to be a giant coffee table book with gorgeous photography of candy that shows people how to entertain, whether it's Thanksgiving dinner with candy at the setting or a baby shower or giving someone a gift that you want to make over-the-top using candy. The book will also have the history of candy and other fun things, like if you're having a bad breakup, what candy you should eat. It'll be fun and witty with little pop facts. That's a big thing. I'm also opening more stores in L.A., San Francisco and maybe Vancouver.
Me: I hope so!
Dylan: Yeah! And we're also expanding wholesale, opening in other department stores, hotels and airports.
Me: Was your family really supportive of your venture?
Dylan: Yes. They always felt that this was my purpose. I love candy, and [they believed that] I should do something I love. I just know candy. I'm not a desk job kind of person -- I like to travel and taste things and try things. It allows me to do that, so they're very supportive.
Me: As you've said, you travel a lot. Where have you gone that you've found a great candy secret or ingredient?
Dylan: I would say London was one of my big inspirations. I studied art history abroad there, and I found some great candy stores that were a lot of fun. I also like international gummies, which are different than North American gummies.
Me: Oh, how so?
Dylan: They're not allowed to use certain colours, and they have different shapes. They may have licorice cats and licorice Scotty dogs, just weird little figures. Italy had some beautiful chocolate sculptures, like a chocolate cathedral. In Japan, I love the packaging, like beautiful silk pouches -- the attention to how things are gifted is really nice.
Me: If you could only eat one candy for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Dylan: Haha! If I could only one candy...that's really a tough one. I love marshmallow stuff. Then I would say gumballs, because the colors are pretty. And because they last a long time.
What's your favorite candy? And if you could only eat one candy for the rest of your life, what would it be??