In some sweet news for the Noho neighborhood, candy retailer IT’SUGAR has opened a new Sour Patch Kids store at 665 Broadway.
“We’re excited for the Kids to bring their playful, sour-then-sweet attitude to the Big Apple and make their mark with the first-ever Sour Patch Kids store,” said Danielle Freid, Brand Manager of Sour Patch Kids brand.
While the retail sector has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic, IT’SUGAR is betting on Manhattan regaining is status as one of the world’s top tourist cities as the disease recedes.
“We created this new experience for our fans to engage with the SOUR PATCH KIDS brand on a whole new level, but of course understand that these are uncertain times,” said Freid.
“With this store as our new permanent home, we want our fans to know that the Kids aren’t going anywhere. We welcome visitors to join us for a colorful, flavorful experience whenever they’re ready to explore the city again.”
For now, the 3,300 s/f store has lowered its maximum capacity to allow enough room for social distancing, and all visitors are required to wear face coverings.
The Sweets Bar only features a to-go menu until the city permits indoor dining. At the candy station, tongs and scoops are regularly sanitized, and visitors who want to create their own candy mix are required to use disposable gloves.
Kids can pose inside a full-size yellow New York cab and a range of limited-edition merchandise will include Sour Patch mugs, t-shirts, socks and beach totes.
The Sour Patch Kids join a neighborhood that is home to an eclectic mix of e-commerce startups like The Mango Store, neighborhood bookstores like Housing Works, millennium superstar Supreme and powerhouse brands like Nike, Amazon and Apple.
Lax zoning has allowed the retail scene to flourish as its employment base has expanded to create 51,000 jobs in the “creative” industries and apartment numbers grew to 5,000.
Founder Jeff Rubin, IT’SUGAR opened the world’s first candy department store in the American Dream Mall in New Jersey just weeks before COVID closed the three million square feet mega mall in March. The 22,000 s/f, three level store is located within the entertainment atrium at American Dream, adjacent to the DreamWorks Water Park entrance and near Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and the property’s NHL-size ice rink.
A spokeswoman for IT’SUGAR said, “The IT’SUGAR American Dream store will re-open when the mall re-opens.”
She declined to comment on lease terms for the new Soho store brokerage details.
