Sweet Like Candy
New shop sweetens Deep Ellum with mind-blowing assortment of candy and soda
Of all the various openings in Deep Ellum, Rocket Fizz stands out as something new to the neighborhood. A candy and soda shop with more than 3,000 items, it will open this summer on Main Street, directly across the street from Pecan Lodge.
Owner Jacob Cox, who previously did commercial real estate development, is bringing something new to Deep Ellum, not just another restaurant or bar.
"I've got four children, and I'm not a drinker; if I drink anything it's soda," he says. "And there's not anything like this right now in Dallas, where you have 500 different flavors of soda or 75 flavors of root beer."
The original Rocket Fizz store opened in Camarillo, California, in 2009. The stores stock thousands of bottled sodas and candies, including many international brands, as well as retro gifts, concert and movie posters, and tin signs. A branch opened in Frisco in 2014, although that store has a different owner.
The idea for a candy store in Deep Ellum first provoked chatter following the opening of Truth & Alibi, a speakeasy whose entrance is a faux candy store. But landlord Scott Rohrman says he got feedback independently from residents and workers in Deep Ellum that a candy shop would be a good addition. "One thing I heard was that the area needed a candy store and a late-night smoothie shop," he says.
The store will go into a 1,500-square-foot space that's been vacant for years; Cox anticipates it will be brimming with goods that appeal to a wide audience.
"It appeals to all ages," he says. "You have kids who are blown away by this thing, but also there's the nostalgia side, with older people who see the brands they used to have as children themselves."
So in addition to the regular Snickers and Payday, there'll be Jujubes, candy necklaces, Violet Crumble and more.
"We have these lines that are nowhere to be found, with candy from England and Europe and Japan," Cox says. "We have a whole section of Asian-influenced candy. In Asia, Kit Kats aren't just chocolate; they have a dozen flavors like green tea. We'll have that. And the store will have a big bacon section, with bacon-themed everything."
He says that Rocket Fizz and Deep Ellum are a perfect match. "Deep Ellum is unique and so are we. We carry stuff that no one else does."
