Remember The Candy Wrapper? Lubbock’s Mall Is A Little Less Sweet

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I've been making miles-long laps around the South Plains Mall for years. As a teen, it was a great way to talk to friends for hours while releasing some energy and shopping for band tees. As an adult, it's more about getting a latte and some steps in. It's massive, it's air-conditioned and there's plenty to look at. I love the mall, it's always been there for me.

I've written previously about the mall stores we miss the most (well, that 90s kids miss the most, anyway) but since then we lost a keystone of the mall experience- paying way too much for candy at The Candy Wrapper. No judgment, they had rent to pay and it was a seller's market. Also, they had the big, really chewy Coke bottle gummies. Totally worth it.

I am not sure why The Candy Wrapper closed, but an easy guess is that the pandemic killed it off. The people who owned it may have just wanted to hang up their plastic scoops. Retail rental space isn't cheap anywhere, and it may have just gotten unsustainable. Now, the previous location is a clothing boutique, Hippie Chick 2, but it still has some of the original design of The Candy Wrapper. See the color block border below.

Luckily, there is still a sizable candy kiosk available to satisfy your sweet tooth, but it obviously can't have the same massive selection that The Candy Wrapper had in its dedicated retail space. I guess we had time to transition mentally- The Candy Wrapper's candy bins shrank in number over recent years.

Lubbock has lost other candy stores as well, including The Arrogant Texan and another candy shop on Slide whose name I cannot remember. With the wide variety of food options here, why can't we keep one dedicated candy store open? I'd love to see someone open one up and keep it open. I can see a place offering rare and overseas candies doing well. Have a selection of Keto friendly candies as well. Maybe custom sodas, or ice cream, too. And plenty of weird gummies, those are the most fun. If you want to take my idea and run with it, I'll be your biggest fan.