Expanding a Flagship Store for Dylan’s Candy Bar

New York, NY

Due in large part to the strength of an impressive concept design presented during the initial proposal stage, Dylan Lauren, founder and CEO of Dylan’s Candy Bar, selected our firm to expand her flagship store onto a new story, and update key store elements.

Dylan’s Candy Bar New Store

Formerly a bank, the new store now includes two rooms for events and parties, an ice cream bar, café, and cocktail bar. To establish visual continuity, we extended design motifs from the first floor visible from the outside — such as the bright blue columns and decorative striping — onto the second. We also shifted the main entrance from the East 60th side of the building to the corner, and relocated a stairway from the ground floor to the lower level. (The treads in the new staircase feature candy implanted in poured acrylic.)

This improved traffic patterns and allowed for an increase in selling space, which was allocation to several new merchandise categories, including bath and body products and apparel. The location is now 15,000 square feet in size.

Dylan’s Candy Bar Design

The store interior is famous for cheery pop-art feel, with its furniture, fixtures, and finishes in candy colors and shaped like oversized confections. The expansion was an opportunity to give many of these features durable replacements.

Fixtures fabricated specially for the renovation include an aquarium filled with rock candy sticks and Swedish fish; a “retro” television encasement for a wide-screen monitor; dripping-chocolate valances; and a lollipop “tree.”

This fast-track project was initiated in November of 2007 and completed in June 2008. Construction proceeded in two phases to ensure the store would stay open.