Has Willy Wonka come to University Boulevard? When you walk into Campus Candy you almost expect to see an Oompa Loompa dart between the vast displays of sugary confections.
But there are no fictional characters to be found among the over 500 types of candy, fro-yo, and flat screen TVs that fill the elliptical wonderland that is Campus Candy.
While owner Mark Tarnofsky was moving his daughter into the dorms he worked up an appetite for a candy bar.
He was baffled that nearly every other type of eatery was closely available, but there was no sweet shop to be found.
As a result, he opened the first Campus Candy at University of Indiana.
Since then they have expanded to a multitude of campuses with Tucson being the latest and two more expected by the end of the month.
Journalism senior, Tory Beardsley urged her friend to visit the shop one brisk evening.
Both agreed that there really isn’t another good place to get candy near campus, and the temptation to mix and match is too good to pass up.
With a base price of $2.89 per quarter pound you can fill your goody bag to your sweet tooth and wallet’s desires.
The store stocks everything from classics like Swedish fish, jaw breakers, and pop rocks to chocolate covered sweets and Jelly Bellies of all varieties.
There aren’t just gummy bears but a whole menagerie of chewy creatures from whales to penguins.
Although the idiom is: like a kid in a candy store, clearly college students should be included as well.
Beardsley said, “My love for candy came from having to study, and peer pressure.”
Tucked into the back corner of the store is a frozen yogurt dispenser, with four flavors that change daily.
If you’re not patient enough to visit the store, the flavors are posted regularly to the Campus Candy Twitter and Facebook page.
Once you grab your cup, it will be 49 cents per ounce to fill it with pure yogurt and 59 cents with toppings.
A fresh topping bar has all your fruity favorites, but why limit yourself?
Let the creative juices flow, because the entire store is your topping bar.
Word to the dieter: while the yogurt may be fairly healthy, the dozen malted milk balls you piled on top are not. Once you’ve eaten yourself into a candy coma there are welcoming tables and chairs to recline at while you can enjoy the company of your friends, free-wifi, or one of the many flat screen televisions.
Brianna Peralta, an undecided sophomore currently attending Pima Community College and plans to come to the U of A next semester.
She was Campus Candy’s first employee and since she started working, she has observed several things about the usual clientele. “There’s something about girls and candy, they really go insane,” she said.
According to Peralta, the most popular treats are the sour belts and clodhoppers.
Do not be alarmed; the latter is not some kind of grasshopper-based candy.
Clodhoppers originate from Canada and consist of graham cracker pieces coated in delicious white, milk or dark chocolate and Campus Candy is one of the few places in the US to find them.
Free samples are available to those who ask so you can satisfy your curiosity before you pony up.
Campus Candy allows you to return to a child-like state where shiny dispensers of simple sugary goodness were enough to make the whole day a success.
The teal walls and catchy tunes create a perfect environment to stop in, hang out, or finish a date with your own sweetheart.
Campus Candy can be found at 910 E. University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85719, just across the street from Chipotle.