This Uptown candy shop’s mystery bag delighted my sweet tooth and my wallet. Here’s how
As a born-and-raised native of Columbus, I am always looking for ways to explore new parts of our town. I am also always looking for ways to make my money go further, so I’m starting a new series with the Ledger-Enquirer to help me do both.
Welcome to Columbus on a Budget, where I find new and cool stuff to do for around $25.
This week I visited the fun vintage-style candy store, Rocket Fizz on Broad in Uptown.
Rocket Fizz is total sensory overload in the best way
Rocket Fizz has more candy than you can imagine, sure, but it also serves up a heaping amount of nostalgia.
Rocket Fizz is giving Olsen’s Mercantile from “Little House on the Prairie” with its many flavors of colorful candy sticks. Another part of the store has “Atlantic City Boardwalk in-its-heyday” vibes with its dizzying array of saltwater taffy.
From popular candy trends like pickle kits to an entire wall devoted solely to Pez dispensers, it has everything you can imagine, and a ton of stuff you could never.
Bacon and ranch-flavored soda, anyone?
How far will $25 go at Rocket Fizz?
The selection was so vast, that I couldn’t even decide where to start, so I took my adult daughter along with me. We had differing opinions about how much candy $25 would buy. I was sure it would be a giant score, but she was skeptical - blame the Gen Z in her.
Without much knowledge about the market value of candy, I had no idea how full my basket should be. It was her idea to let fate decide.
With full faith in Rocket Fizz, I chose the “Mystery Bag” option.
The plain brown paper bags lined a few shelves near the register and offered no clues as to the contents. They did, however, vary in size and price, starting at $10 and up.
My budget was $25, but I splurged a little and went with the $26.99 bag.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Mystery bag revealed
My $27 went farther than my daughter suspected, but I was satisfied with my haul. I got a few items that I was a little iffy about: the edible play dough was a tough munch, texture-wise.
The champagne and dark chocolate bar, however, was a hit for both mom and daughter. Of course, there were taffy and “lollies” as my grandson says, but nothing was as exciting as finding some of my childhood faves.
Bubble Tape for the win!
This gum was a major staple of my childhood and it brings up acutely specific memories for me. Folks of a certain age can likely smell it through the screen.
I was also beyond delighted to find rock candy in the bag. This particular item was always such a mystery to me, as a kid. How do they even get the rock crystals on that stick?
Overall, I’m happy with how I spent my $25, and the bang for the buck was worth it.
They even had Moon Pies, which past-Sundi also loved. What was your favorite candy as a kid? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on Instagram.
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 10:31 AM with the headline "This Uptown candy shop’s mystery bag delighted my sweet tooth and my wallet. Here’s how."
