After all this time, Sweet Ideas is still in love with Lethbridge!

On November 1, 2007 Lethbridge welcomed its very own candy shop filled with old fashioned candy, British and American candy, Candy Bouquets, and novelty candy to suit everyone's taste. It is a family business owned by Sheryl and Frank Dallaire, Dave and Penny Kowalchuk and Sandy Eshleman (a.k.a. Mom).

"We've been well received by the community," said Penny. "In the months leading up to the opening, we asked people what candy they had when they were kids that they couldn't find anymore. We took great pleasure in finding it for them. Most of what you see in the shop is what the people of Lethbridge requested."

If one can not find that tasty sweet or sour candy they loved as a child, a whiteboard in the back of the colourful shop is dedicated to the candy connoisseurs searching for their long-lost candy.

Remember chicken bones, mojos, cola balls, sponge toffee, Black Jack gum, pink elephant popcorn, cotton candy and black licorice cigars? How about those American and British candy bars like Payday, Zero, U-No, Double Decker, Turkish Delight and Wigwags (now Curly Wurly Bars)? You can find them all at Sweet Ideas!

If chocolate is your passion, there are the most amazing Ganache truffles you've ever tasted, in flavors like peanut butter, caramel mocha, Italian hazelnut, double dark, butter white, hot 'n' spicy, raspberry, English mint, Swiss milk, French orange, strawberry, banana, pineapple, key lime, coconut, and cheesecake (all made in Canada). They also carry Linda Marie's Gourmet (chocolate covered) Toffee, a product of Saskatchewan.

For grossing out your friends, we have brought Cricket Lick-It and Scorpion suckers, together with chocolate covered insects and roasted salt ‘n’ vinegar, sour cream ‘n’ onion, and bacon and cheese crickets to the discerning palates of Lethbridge children and adults alike.

Making this a store of experience and childhood memories was very important to Sweet Ideas. "We wanted a business where people left feeling better than when they came in," said Penny. "We love seeing parents sharing their candy stories with their children."

To give kids the old fashioned candy store experience, GST is included in all prices. Kids can come to Sweet Ideas with their pocket change and figure out for themselves exactly how much their money can buy.

Another endeavour the sugary team has embarked on is the Candy Bouquet franchise (#5615) to provide a delicious alternative to flowers for every occasion, including weddings.

Sweet Ideas also takes special orders. Whether it is a Calgary Flames paraphernalia bouquet, a Spiderman birthday bouquet, or a traditional red rose bouquet, the sky is the limit when it comes to designing Candy Bouquets. You can choose whatever candy you want, whatever color scheme and whatever theme you need to suit that hard-to-buy-for person on your list.

Sweet Ideas felt it was important to take advantage of the local talent when putting the business together, and to that end, they enlisted the help of Kelly Vander Hooft of Urban Studio Interior Design and Colleen Reid of LA Neon.

Colleen, a gifted graphic artist, created Lulapop, a lime green, scarf-wearing sucker girl, as the mascot for Sweet Ideas and prepared all artwork for the signage, business cards and logo. The Andy-Warhol inspired artwork on one window was her creation too.

Kelly, a talented professional who recently received "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" award from the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, designed the entire shop, complete with the '50's-style floor, chrome accents and many creative candy art pieces. Her inspiration for the shop colors were Jelly Belly jelly beans, and the comment heard most when people walk in the door for the first time is, "Wow! This is just like Willy Wonka's!" You'll appreciate Kelly's unique artwork, displays and other features when you visit Sweet Ideas.