Twenty years ago, candy stores sprinkled almost every street corner; people even sold candy from their own homes and front porches. Sugar Shack (with the sweetest things you can imagine, according to its tagline) brings a favorite pastime back to the Belmont-Cragin area.
For years, area children were left without many options as liquor stores were the only place to turn for sweet treats—and overpriced ones at that. Sugar Shack's owner, Santiago Beniquez, assures us his shop is for the kids. "Parents won't have to worry anymore about their kids buying candy from a place where 35-year-olds go to buy liquor," Beniquez says.
While the outside lacks flavor (tinted windows allow passersby a glimpse of their reflections), the inside bursts with the store's name and a couple candy canes professionally spray-painted onto lime-green walls. Eventually, plasma televisions tuned to MTV will sharpen an already pulsating interior. Meanwhile, hip-hop blares from speakers, making this after-school hangout extra cool. If not, Beniquez's R&B singing aspirations make him relatable to clientele, many of whom flock in from Mary Lyon Elementary School a block away. During our visit, a couple of bigger kids from Steinmetz High School rocking bling and stunna shades popped in with a craving for strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.
Shelves and freezers stock an evergreen supply of throwbacks like Push Pops, ice cream sandwiches, Sixlets, Chick-O-Sticks, Cry Baby gum, Ring Pops, Fun Dips and Lucky Lights candy cigarettes. Salty treats include Combos, corn nuts, sunflower seeds and potato chips. Considering the residents, Beniquez keeps a heaping selection of Mexican treats and promises to stock Polish, Puerto Rican and diabetic candies in the near future.
Centerstage Reviewer: David-Anthony Gonzalez
