YORK, Maine — Sweet, a new candy store, has opened on Railroad Avenue, offering an array of chocolates and what the owner calls cutting-edge cotton candy technology.
Kevin Fennelly, who opened Sweet in June, said his new Sweet Robo Cotton Candy Machine crafts cotton candy flowers in an array of colors that will “change the game” of cotton candy on York Beach. It features a robotic arm that raises and collects the cotton candy on a stick and then sends it outside the glass enclosure to the customer.
“Instead of the traditional, now it’s like, on a whole other level,” Fennelly said.
At the same time, his new shop offers cotton candy items and characters handcrafted by staff, designed in the likeness of characters like the minions from the “Despicable Me” movie franchise. Also behind the display cases are traditional chocolates that Fennelly hopes will add to the offering of sweets at York Beach.
Fennelly previously used the Sweet space as an extension of his store Bill and Bob’s Jewelry, which was started by his mother Margaret Peggy Shaheen Fennelly, a few doors down. He also owns a candy store at the mall in Newington called Sweet Josie’s , but separate from the business of the same name at York Beach, which is owned by his sister Kathleen Shaheen.
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Fennelly said he was tired of running back and forth from the main Bill and Bob’s store to the space a few doors down where he exclusively kept his gold collection. He decided he wanted the gold in the same location as his silver products, so he moved them into the main shop. He decided a candy store would do well in that now vacant space.Sweet will only be open seasonally until Nov. 1. After that, Fennelly said he plans to bring the machine to the Sweet Josie’s location in the Fox Run Mall in Newington, where it can be enjoyed during the winter.
The new store is stocked with traditional candies and truffles, several made by an artisan in Billerica, Massachusetts. Popular flavors include the strawberry cheesecake truffle.
Also available is a large selection of sugar-free candies. Fennelly said he's seen a growth in demand for sugar-free products at his mall location.
“Diabetic people, there isn’t much out here for chocolate,” Fennelly said.
Railroad Avenue has long been home to several stores that sell candy, ice cream and other sweets.
Sweet is next to the Sweet Josie’s owned by his sister. Fennelly said there was no sibling rivalry over opening next door. His sister Kathleen declined to comment.
Sweet is also on the same street as Johnny’s Candy Corner . Across the street, the Goldenrod also sells ice cream and taffy, and Hawaiian Jim’s Shave Ice also has a location on the street. A short walk away is Wicked Good Ice Cream at 2 Beach St.
At Johnny’s Candy Corner, Janie Biagioni, who runs the store with her father Johnny, said competition is welcome as they have been selling candy on the beach for decades.
“We don’t have a problem with anybody opening anything at York Beach,” Biagioni said. “We’ve built our own empire here.”
Fennelly said his shop offers different products than the other shops on Railroad Avenue. He also said having more than one store in a tourist location is always better than a single shop.
“You don’t want one pizza guy (on a street). You want five pizza guys,” Fennelly said. “They work well with one another because people attract people.”
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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: A Sweet spot: New candy shop opens at York Beach
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