Sweeties Candy (7480 Brookpark Road, 216.739.2244) has gone through big changes since it started in 1950 as Bag-A-Sweet Candy, a store that delivered candy to local distributors. After branching out into area shopping malls in the ’80s, the company returned to a single storefront by the early ’90s. Now, the place is preparing to expand into the offices next door so that it will occupy a total of 18,000 square feet of retail space. “We need so much space and as much as we get once the expansion is done, it’ll be filled and we’ll probably be saying that we’re out of space again,” says vice president Judi Scheiman.

The family-run business offers a wild assortment of candies, including retro ones from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Shoppers can choose from a wall of PEZ dispensers, grab some wax lips, power down some Pixy Stix or savor a few gourmet jelly beans. “We go through different brokers,” Scheiman says. “We buy from 125 manufacturers, but we try to stick to things made in America. We want to support our country, but it’s hard because a lot of things are being made out of the country.” Sweeties’ clients include the hotel industry and food and beverage manufacturers and local restaurants that know the store has items they can’t find elsewhere. Expect to see an assortment of seasonal items for Halloween and Christmas (and, to a lesser extent, Valentine’s Day), making the stock appear even more impressive. “Because we have such a variety and so much of it and it’s stacked on the racks to the ceiling, people are amazed,” Scheiman says. “We just try to get as many fun items as we can.” – Submitted by Jeff Niesel