BonBon opened its baby pink-framed glass doors in the Lower East Side in 2018, boasting confections made with products straight from Sweden. Founders Robert “Bobby” Persson, Selim Adira and Leo Schaltz initiated their confectionary venture with one goal: to “revolutionize the U.S. candy world.” Their business steadily grew as years passed with the opening of a second store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, e-commerce, a hot dog cart and a third store in the Upper East Side. BonBon has greatly benefited from its dedicated following on TikTok, where candy lovers proudly unpack the store’s signature pink bags for the world to salivate over. Their self-made and fan-made content paints a decadent, satisfying candy experience, but is BonBon actually exceptional? Is it possible that they have actually revolutionized the United States’ candy world?
I visited BonBon’s original location on the Lower East Side mainly because my friend was dying to stop in. The confectionery’s Windsor blue awning and neon pink sign greeted my friends and me, the alluring fragrance of sugar lingering like a soft, puffy cloud around the shop’s doors. Excited and slightly impatient chatter accompanied the fragrance, produced by the long queue of around 30 patrons lining the sidewalk outside the store. We waited 20 minutes outside, as the store has a system where they only let in two people at a time – two out, two in.
Inside, there is a small circular table that awaits you amidst a minimalist room, bearing hand sanitizer, sanitized scoops and pink candy bags. Once you pick up a bag and scoop, you are free to roam the store with no time limit or restriction on how much candy you can grab. BonBon presents its offerings in pick-and-mix bins lining the walls, separating products into three sections: chocolate, licorice, and gummy and marshmallow. Hot pink labels proclaim each candy’s name, flavor (sweet, sour or salty), and allergens (or lack thereof). The shop’s walls are a sight to see: gorgeous, tantalizing morsels of bright pink, electric blue and intense red, along with every other color in the rainbow, coated in sugar crystals, and rich, shining chocolate winking at me through its plastic enclosure. After loading my bag, the “candy sommelier” weighed my pickings, and I had to fork over $36. It hurt my soul, I will admit.
Was such an expensive blow for a three-quarters-full bag worth it? Before I provide my thoughts, full disclosure: I am a notorious candy disliker. I’m not quite a hater, but I often reject any candy offering with visible disgust, a fact to which my Jolly Rancher-loving roommate can attest. When it comes down to it, I prefer dark chocolate over any sickly sweet candy. I didn’t expect BonBon to change my mind on this matter.
Yet, to my surprise, it did. The shop produced candy that I like and want to eat again and again. While I typically never crave candy, I can eat BonBon candy anytime. My sweet bounty is too expansive to list here, but it covered all the bases, from the Sour Watermelon Skulls to tasty BUBS Banana Caramel Ovals. I enjoyed most of my selections, and my favorite were Strawberry Clouds, light pink half-spheres with a white rim, all coated in sugar. Its soft and foamy interior melts when you bite into its deceptively firm exterior. The strawberry floats across your tastebuds, followed closely by the crystal sugar that brightens its predecessor with sweet delight. I scooped approximately five Strawberry Clouds into my bag. In hindsight, I regret not taking more. On the other hand, I was not a fan of the Gummy Teeth. They were far too firm and lacked the promised “fresh strawberry flavor,” its texture disagreeing with me to the point that I could not finish the candy.
Regarding the founders’ grand aspirations, I think that the only thing Bon-Bon can boast as “revolutionary” is its high-quality ingredients, which are imported from Sweden. The shop’s commitment to making as many of its products gluten-free, vegan and natural as possible is a great stride for candy in America. However, the fact that each of BonBon’s selections has a cheaper American counterpart sours their revolution. The website promises a “magical world” that brings beloved Scandinavian treats to America. This description paints a picture of outlandish, highly unique treats unfathomable to the American mind. It is a bit misleading, as nearly all of the treats already exist in some form in the U.S. The difference is in the ingredients.
BonBon’s notoriety speaks to a common phenomenon in our digital age: branding hyping up quality. The store is sleek and eye-catching. It feels cool in there, much cooler than picking up a bag of gummy worms from a deli on Fordham Road. The romanticization of BonBon makes the confectionery look a lot more unique than it is. Influencers show off mounds of candy, hand-scooped from the confines of a Swedish, aesthetically pleasing store. It is enough to make anyone yearn for a taste, never considering that some candy looks awfully familiar. After all, why would you buy a drab, tired tube of Rolo’s when you can buy Swedish “Center Caramel Caps” in a chic pink bag?
As an alternative, Economy Candy resides two blocks from BonBon, founded in the 1930s. They have many of the same options as BonBon, merely under different names at much lower prices. BonBon’s Strawberry Clouds are named “Puffy Puffs” at Economy, only $5.50 per pound. Since Economy practices maximalism in contrast to Bon-Bon’s minimalism, it may not be as aesthetically pleasing, but it gets the job done.
To answer the grand question of whether BonBon is worth it, it depends. It is worth it if you are a huge candy fan and/or want healthier candy. It is like Whole Foods – it has the same offerings as other stores, just healthier and in different packaging. This is all not to discourage you from going there – stop in if you desire healthy candy alternatives and are willing to pay the price. I probably will, too. BonBon is a wonderful candy shop, maybe not a complete revolution, but at least a step in the right direction.