Tino oversees his domain of dilectables
Tino Ramirez brings parents and children together for a living, but he isn't a family therapist. He's the owner of Candylicious, Houston's most delightful candy shop, and his confections create a sweet bridge between generations.
Located next to The Chocolate Bar (which Tino also owns) on Alabama east of Shepard, the store is a testament to one man's love for all things delicious. And the amount of business he's doing is a testament to how much Houston loves sweets. According to his estimates, the stores run through hundreds of pounds of single color M&Ms and Jelly Belly Jelly Beans every month.
How does one make a candy cake? The answer is: with a lot of joy and hot glue
From Necco Wafers to chocolate covered insects and Japanese candy sushi, the walls are covered with treats that Tino has discovered on his many travels. One corner is entirely devoted to the largest collection of Pez in the area. Another is full of more brands of candy cigarettes than Houstonist knew existed. He even sells body chocolate for the adults, which is a popular choice.
"It's amazing who will [buy the body chocolate]. Some people will even sneak it up to the counter. We just started with a bottle and it's really taken off," says Tino. Taken off, indeed. They've added a stripping chocolate board game. But don't worry parents, those are out of junior's reach.
One of the candy cakes that has made Candylicious so sought after.
What's made Candylicious such a hit is the store's unique candy cakes and candy topiaries. Ranging in size from a small pale full of "Over the Hill"-themed treats to a full size candy jukebox with chocolate spinning record, Tino believes that "they can be as unique as [the customer] can be."
Every employee gets the opportunity to work with a customer to give them exactly the candy cake they want. The biggest order, besides the jukebox, was a 10 foot square scale model of a home made completely from wrapped candy for an architect in Houston.
Every kind of fizzy, sugery and sour concoction can be found on the many candy displays
According to Tino, "Ordering and finding all the new products" is the best part of the job and "helping someone find a candy, only to find out it's not made" is the worst.
Oh yeah, how about those dental bills Tino?
"I brush three times a day."
___
The Original Candylicious
1837 W Alabama St
Houston, TX 77098
Candylicious II
Rice Village between Urban Outfitters and Half Priced Books
Photos by Houstonist, you can view more sweet shots of our trip in this gallery.
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