NYC's Oldest Candy Shop Got Its Humble Start During The Great Depression Nearly 100 Years Ago

Take a stroll around Manhattan's Lower East Side and it's as close as NYC can get to a culinary time machine. Orchard Street's beloved Russ & Daughters first opened in 1914, the iconic cinema star Katz's Deli on East Houston dates back to 1888, and local favorite Economy Candy first started selling sweets on Rivington Street in the 1930s. And all three are still feeding locals, and almost as many visitors, all these years later.

Like a lot of the city's throwback businesses, the exact date that Economy Candy sold its very first goodie is lost to time. It started as a shoe store with a candy cart outside, its present stewards say, flipping into a full time confectioner in 1937 when you would have seen enduring classics like chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts lining the shelves. Social media documentation is scant from that era, but the peanut and coconut flavored Chick-O-Sticks also date back to candy of the decade, and the first Snickers bar was sold for a nickel in 1930. Prohibition had also ended by the time Economy Candy got its formal start, so you could have theoretically been bar hopping around the historically saloon-packed neighborhood, fortifying yourself against all the booze with caramel and nougat, just like you can in modern times.

As you might imagine, Economy Candy now ships its goods all around the United States. And it does carry some unique, old-school candy varieties like Abba-Zaba bars that you might not be able to source as easily elsewhere around the internet. But visiting in person is also a delight, albeit a pretty petite one, and most of the limited square footage is populated by — you guessed it — jelly beans, licorice, lollipops, and plenty of imported or otherwise harder to come by goods. It also stays on-trend, as anyone who got caught up in the Dubai chocolate craze can attest to — you can find it on shelves there. The place is packed; while you can pass a stranger in the aisles, for example, you might just leave as friends.

Economy Candy also has a satellite location called A Taste of Economy Candy at Chelsea Market a few miles farther uptown on Manhattan's west side. That outpost has also been known to partake of the occasional collaboration with other makers at the sprawling food hall. Visit at the right time and you might find items like topical milkshakes for some of the industry's most important moments like Valentine's Day. But you can still catch a sugar high at either ship year-round.