Rocket Fizz , a national soda pop and candy store known for nostalgic and international candy, salt water taffy and hundreds of glass-bottled soda pops, is coming to Sioux Falls next week.
The store will be located at Empire Place in the old Hawaii Fluid Art space. The anticipated opening day will be Wednesday, with a grand opening event later this fall.
Franchise owners and consultants Vicki and John DeWitte, of Mitchell, said this spring, they began researching what would be the best fit for Empire Place, as well as Sioux Falls.
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“We came upon the Rocket Fizz franchise, and we started learning more about it," Vicki DeWitte said. "The more we learned about it, the more we liked."
With more than 600 flavors of micro-brewed, pure cane sugar soda pop and more than 1,000 varieties of candy, others think the news is pretty sweet, according to the DeWittes.
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“I mean, everywhere we go, people just seem so excited,” Vicki DeWitte said. “It's absolutely something for everybody.”
Rare, vintage candy varieties, as well as candy from other countries, will be displayed throughout the old-fashioned, mercantile-style store atop wood shelving.
The store is not only expected to appease a sweet tooth, but also funny bones with various metal signs, concert posters and gag gifts.
Vicki and John DeWitte will manage the store initially, and their daughter Whitney Letcher and another individual will take on the roles of assistant managers, eventually moving into upper management roles. Letcher was previously the manager at Hawaii Fluid Art before it closed.
Where it all began
Self-proclaimed as the largest and fastest-growing soda pop and candy franchise in the U.S. according to its website, Rocket Fizz has more than 100 stores in more than 30 states as well as Canada.
Rocket Fizz was founded in 2007 by founder and president Rob Powells and co-founder Ryan Morgan. The first store opened in 2009 in Camarillo, Calif. and is headquartered in Reno, Nev.
In early 2015, Powells was featured on reality television show “Undercover Boss ," but the company also faced negative backlash in summer 2019 with allegations of "racist" merchandise and a "dicator-themed" line of soda flavors, according to the Edmonton Journal in Alberta Canada .
Sioux Falls will be the first South Dakota location for the retro candy and soda chain. The only other store in the Midwest recently opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. Two other Midwest stores, however, have closed in recent years, including in Lincoln, Neb. and one in Ankeny, Iowa . Lincoln’s store closed after 10 years of business in spring 2023, and Ankeny closed its doors in late 2019.
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Rocket Fizz is also known for its celebrity sodas dedicated to those such as King Kong, Farrah Fawcett, KISS, The Three Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, a "Breaking Bad" collection and Marilyn Monroe.
The company manufactures its own salt water taffy that comes in more than 100 flavors.
“Our goal is to make a connection with people, establish relationships. You know, more than just going to a big box store and buying something,” Vicki DeWitte said. “We want to help our customers find that very special thing they're looking for, for themselves or for other people. And so, we want it to be an experience when they come to the store that they enjoy and want to come back.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Fastest-growing candy franchise Rocket Fizz coming to Sioux Falls next week
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