Candy Queen Brings Sweet Life to GT Resort & Spa

The Ticker has learned some sweet news.

Dubbed “The Candy Queen” and “Wilhelmina Wonka,” Dylan Lauren – 36-year-old daughter of fashion icon Ralph Lauren – is opening Dylan’s Candy Bar on Nov. 1 as the newest store at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.

The new 1,300-square-foot color-splashed store in the Gallery of Shops includes an 18-foot Chocolate Wall loaded with bulk and packaged chocolate, almost 100 bins of bulk candy in the center of the store, 21 flavors of M&Ms, 24 flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, three 7-foot Lollipop Trees – each with 200 lollipops in various flavors and an 8-foot tall Chocolate Bar Tree with more than 700 of Lauren’s signature chocolate bars.

Lauren’s shops are selective about placement and having one at the Resort is quite a coup. It all came about quickly following a trip to Lauren’s Manhattan store by Kiley Park, retail buyer at the Resort.

“I visited her store and was really impressed,” Park tells The Ticker. “I contacted them and expressed an interest in having Dylan’s Candy Bar here at the Resort. Dylan is very particular about her stores and they came here for a visit. They’ve been fantastic to work with.”

After a few weeks of negotiations, final approval was given by Lauren about two months ago and plans began to turn a former empty area into a color-splashed candyland.

The colorful shop combines Dylan Lauren’s love of confections and passion for art into an emporium filled with candy, music, fun, and gifts of all kinds for children and adults. Done in her signature colors of turquoise and pink, the shop also features a colorful assortment of clothing and souvenirs – all candy inspired, of course.

The grand opening on Nov. 20 will include a “Sweet-Stakes” drawing to win an overnight stay in a “Sweet Suite” at the Resort; no purchase necessary. Details of the grand opening will be announced soon.

At Dylan’s Candy Bar, the sights and aromas of candy from today and yesteryear bridge the generation gap, one piece of candy at a time. In fact it’s not just kids that enjoy candy – Americans over the age of 18 consume 65 percent of the candy produced each year. 

A Duke University grad, Dylan Lauren is also the author of, “Dylan’s Candy Bar: Unwrap Your Sweet Life,” which features candy recipes and candy craft ideas that will appeal to anyone interested in living the sweet life. She opened the original Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City in 2001. In addition to that shop, other Candy Bars are located in East Hampton, Roosevelt Field, Orlando and Houston.