A New Prodcut that I got to debut on National TV

We have been very greatful the last few months and have had some great media exposure.

It started out with benig on the local NBC station in December only to have our bride win the Four Weddings TV show in January and then in February we were honored to be called by Fox Business to have our store featured on the broadcast.

The Life of the candy man has been very exciting. But what is just as exciting is our latest item the Spell It In Chocolate box.

We have had sevearl people make requests to spell something in chocolate so we commisioned a custom set of molds made that allows people to spell their message in a 5X5 grid giving them 25 characters to express themselves, and if there are spaces we fill those spaces with truffles.

So I thought it would be great to unveil the item to Jeff Flock from Fox business when he was in our kitchen today with a message to them

Living the life of the candy man is sure sweet.  Watch on facebook and twitter for a link to our appearance or simply check out our youtube channel  incase you missed it.

Have a sweet day!

TLC Four Weddings... and A Yellow Brick Road -- Our Client Won

Exciting things have happened since I last blogged.

Back in October I blogged about being hired by a client for a reality show.

I was not able to give details other than to show the finished product.

Well after months of waiting our client was a bride on the hit TV show on TLC the Four Weddings.

The exciting part is that she and her husband won a dream vacation. I like to think that the Emerald City candy table we created helped push them over the top.

I posted on our youtube channel a video that highlights the candy table at the wedding and what the other brides had to say about the wedding.  Click here to watch the episode ... and A Yellow Brick Road I am sure it will be on TLC again in the future.

But the best part is when we win so do you. Click this link to download a coupon to use in the store or online http://www.raisingthecandybar.com/ use promo code emeraldcity at check out to save 10% off of your purchase not redeemable with other offers or on special order items.

Living the Life of the CandyMan is sure Sweet!

As always have a sweet day!

A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words

As we start 2012 I thought I would start the year with a picture that I took just before closing last Friday.

Publish Post

Living the life of the candy man is sure sweet.

Happy New Year and here is to a happy, healthy and sweet new year!

Do you sell Penuche?

The other day a sweet older woman came into the store and asked me Do you sell Penuche?

I looked at her and answered what is it?

She went onto to tell me that her husband who was 85 had cancer and was not allowed to eat chocolate anymore and all he wanted for Christmas was some Penuche which is a form of butterscotch fudge.

OK I am a softy -- we have never made it and we rarely make fudge at all but this sweet older woman who was trying to make her sick husband happy got to me.

So after doing some research and making a few phone calls we made a small batch of Penuche for her to give to her husband as a Christmas gift. Unfortunately the batch did not have the exact consistency but it tasted great and with a holiday appropriate bow it looked nice too

All part of living the life of the candy man.

Have a sweet day!

What a creative Chanukah Idea

Living the life of the candyman is sweet.

I get to help people with all kinds of unique projects from ginger bread house themed birthday parties and weddings to teachers who need themed candy for a lesson.  Two days ago we sold a teacher candy blox for a class project.

But the coolest thing I have seen in recent months is a project that a student did this week.

On Sunday a Mom and daughter came in with an idea for a school project to build a Candy Chanukah Menorah or Hanukkah Candelabra.

The young lady had the greatest idea to make it out of Pez (sorry I don't sell it online), so I asked the Mom if it was OK to feature it on my blog the Mom said yes and sent me the following pictures to post.

Great job Dafna

Happy and Sweet early Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

PS -- if you create a cool project using candy / confections from the store I'd be happy to post it too.

Have a sweet day!

NBC Channel 5 Sunday 6 AM News

Yes it was dark and rainy this past Sunday morning, but the Candyman was able to sweeten up a local  TV news segment. How and Why you may be asking yourself.

Well for the last couple of years we have been participating the World of Chocolate Event that benefits AIDS research.  The first year we we brought with a lot of chocolate that people enjoyed but I realized that many other vendors had themes so last year we had a them Chanukah and Christmas and then at the last minute the Governor announced the legalization of same sex marriages so we brought with our LGBT molds.


As the date was nearing for the World of Chocolate event their PR firm sent out an inquiry looking for unique ways to get media coverage. I offered a chocolate NBC peacock. The PR firm did their magic and next thing you know I was on TV along with my trusty helper my son.

Click to watch video

The culmination of the week was the World of Chocolate Event. where we brought out the Emerald City along a few characters from Oz.

What will we do next year?

Not sure yet but I have a few idea.

Have a sweet day!

Time to be Thankful

Being the Candy Man is sweet, but at times you need to take a step back and be thankful too.

This past year we have had some great things happen to the business from . From the additions of some exciting products to an opportunity to be on a cable reality show but now is the time to take a step back and be thankful and count our blessings.

So once again we have teamed up with LifeSource and are sponsoring our Fourth Annual blood drive on Sunday December 11th, between 10:30am & 4:30pm, in the LifeSource Coach, which will be in our parking lot at 3745 W Dempster in Skokie.  Sweet treats and coupons will be available on the coach for all who are being so generous.

You can give the gift of life by donating less than an hour of your time and some blood. In return you get the following...

-1- You feel good that you helped someone (usually within 5 days)

-2- Various health benefits

    a)Free Mini Physical (blood pressure, iron and pulse tested)

    b)Free Cholesterol reading

-3- Illinois Nut & Candy cookies and confections in the LifeSource Coach

-4- 10% off all purchases through the end of the year

-5- A FREE bag of popcorn to take with you on the road

Donations are down once again this year.  I promised that I could get 50 people to give blood. I already have 2, and am asking you as part of my network of contacts to help me keep my word.

If all that doesn't convince you, maybe this will.  This year we were given a football signed by Chicago Bears safety Major Wright. One lucky person who successfully donates blood will have their name drawn for a chance to win the signed football.  Your chances for winning are 1 in 50 or better!

Please RSVP by calling 847-677-5777 with a time that is convenient for you between 10:30am & 4:30pm

Also for those who are not able to attend  you can always go to a local LifeSource location and give them the code 146B that is the same as if you were on the bus. If you need to find a location near you click this link to find a location near you. 

Have a sweet day and Happy Thanksgiving. 

Happy and Sweet Holidays to you and yours!