Candy-lovers no longer need to travel up to VC or Washoe Valley to get their hands on something sweet! Sugar Fix, Carson City’s newest independent candy store, has opened up shop near the Carson City Hot Springs.
Tucked into the Hot Springs campus next to Shoe Tree Brewing Co., Sugar Fix offers everything from rows of brightly-colored bulk candies, to hard-to-find nostalgic treats from decades past, and the weird and wacky: the most popular being Pickle Soda!
The shop is owned and operated by Carson City native Heather Gorby, who has spent her life around candy’s biggest fan: kids! Before switching to the sweeter life, Gorby operated Robin’s Nest Day Care — a center that her mother first opened here in Carson in the 1970s.
The shift to retail came after her youngest child entered kindergarten and she felt ready for a career change. She landed on candy after asking herself what Carson City was missing, especially when it comes to family-friendly shops and activities.
“We thought and thought about what’s going to work in Carson,” Gorby said. “Carson’s a hard town to make things work, especially long-term. But we don’t have a lot of family stuff, and we wanted to make something fun for the whole family.”
She said that, as a mom herself, they’re cognizant of costs, and wanted to make sure they were offering something for everyone to enjoy.
“For us, as a family of five, it’s expensive to walk into a candy store,” Gorby said. “So we wanted to make it a little less for people.”
Sugar Fix focuses heavily on bulk candy, a concept inspired by a trip Gorby and her family took to a store in Nashville that featured wall-to-wall bins of “every candy you could imagine.” This allows customers to pick and mix their favorites, from 40 different flavors of Jelly Belly beans, to Pez, Swedish Fish, salt water taffy and more.
The most popular choices so far have been the least expected: nostalgic candies like Wax Lips from the 80s and 90s — some of which sold out almost immediately.
“I’ve had a lot of people coming in and saying ‘Oh, I haven’t seen this since I was a kid!'” Gorby said. “It’s definitely the nostalgia that’s driving it.”
The second most popular seller so far is the weirdest: Pickle Soda. A wall of wacky flavored sodas lines the back wall with flavors like Bacon, Ranch Dressing, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and more, but Pickle is the definitive winner.
Gorby said they are still in their infancy, and are working to expand selections. She is always looking to source local candies and confections, and is currently working with a local freeze dried candy maker (similar to the “Astronaut food” those of us old enough to remember) who is awaiting her commercial license.
“They’re the freshest freeze-dried candy I’ve ever had,” Gorby said. “We’re pretty excited to work with her.”
For local makers, Gorby said she would love to learn more about their product and discuss partnering to bring regional and local candies directly to her customers.
Another popular choice they are working on sourcing are dye-free and sugar-free or low-sugar candies, which she said are practically sold out everywhere they turn.
“They’re obviously very popular, and we’re working on bringing those options in,” Gorby said. “My husband and I are going to be visiting a candy expo in May, so we’re hoping to find some good, smaller suppliers to partner with.”
Gorby said as they expand, they’ll also be bringing in ice cream with self-serve toppings, fudge, truffles, caramel apples, and fresh made cotton candy among other treats.
She said she is always open to working with families who want to include an experience along with a candy purchase, whether it means customized party packages, getting party treat-bags made up and ready to go ahead of time, or anything else they may need to bring some fun and color to their special event.
Sugar Fix is located at 1500 Old Hot Springs Road behind Sassafras. They are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can follow them on social media or call (775) 297-3825 to learn more.
