Treat Yourself at Dylan’s Candy Bar
Congratulations on your 20 years in business. How has Dylan’s Candy Bar changed over the years?
Thank you for being so awesome and supportive along the way!
Dylan's Candy Bar has evolved into a lifestyle brand with stores from Hawaii to Hudson Yards, smaller airport locations, a growing E-Commerce business and an animal foundation Dylan's Candy Barn. We have incorporated candy themed clothing, accessories, toys, gifts, favors and gift baskets anyone can customize and create with over 5,000 choices of candy. We have also added product lines such as Mindful Indulgences for the health conscious and our Gold Collection for the chocolate aficionados.
What inspired you to go into this business?
As a candy fanatic I have always felt there was a need for an oversized, magical candy store that was hip and fun to explore because it looked like Pop Art meets Willy Wonka's factory and had candies from every decade and from countries around the world, along with colorful gifts to celebrate every occasion life has to offer.
Did you bounce ideas off your dad, Ralph Lauren, and your mom?
Yes! My family is very close and artistic so that combo is very helpful when I need creative input from trustworthy people. It’s usually a round table discussion not just with my parents but also my two older brothers. My mom has the sweet tooth and a flair for table decorating for special holidays and events, so she is helpful in that area of our business. My dad's entrepreneurial spirit and sense of how to create an original and fashionable lifestyle brand with loyal customers also helped along the 20 years and prior of creating Dylan's Candy Bar.
Do you like old school candy or new versions?
I like all candy BUT I am partial to old school varieties because I think the vintage graphics on the packaging and advertisements are more interesting to collect and share with others in our Nostalgia Department. They show a part of American Art History through commerce.
As everyone gets ready for Valentine’s Day, what is your favorite to share?
I am so excited about this year’s Valentine's Day Collection because it ties into the launch of our 20th Anniversary year of adding shimmer and sparkle metallics to all of our products! These extra pops make our Valentine's Day candies look like glamourous jewels. I am particularly excited to share our oversized Sparking Sweets XL Tackle Box which is over the top and features 24 compartments of rainbow foiled metallic confections in a variety of shapes from lips and hearts to coins and candy types from chocolate truffles to sweet gummy and sour favorites.
I also love our long stem box of a dozen chocolate foiled roses and our rainbow foiled chocolate Oreos that resemble the canopy of the Dylan's Candy Bar store centerpiece lollipop tree.
