What factors influenced your decision to open your business on Lincoln Road?

The fact that Lincoln Road is such a vibrant street was one of the main reasons. Obviously, we did detailed market research before making any final decision. However, I always like to visit the places where I intend to invest to get a feel of the street. Lincoln Road felt like the perfect match for the type of visitors who walk through the district to enjoy the experience our unique candy boutique offers.

Did the proximity to competitors influence your decision-making process? Please explain.

It did not; I just knew that what we offer doesn’t compare: premium quality, great variety, and a more unique and fun presentation than any competitor. At Captain Candy, we are specialists at what we do. We have people traveling to every single part of the world scouting for new types of candy and chocolate. We import the best candy from 14 different countries, offering more than 120 different kinds that are simply the best in the whole world.  

What specific advantages do you feel Lincoln Road offers for your business? Please elaborate on your answer.

In Europe, we have over 30 locations, and we are very well-known overseas. Lincoln Road is our first location in the States. I wanted to start the expansion in the U.S. in a popular and high-trafficked area by both tourists and locals. Every day, customers walk in saying how they loved our stores when they visited cities like Madrid, Rome, Venice, Istanbul and more; Lincoln Road offers us popularity not just in a new country but on a new continent where we plan to grow to be the face of premium candy and chocolate.

How do you envision the future growth and evolution of Captain Candy?

I have full confidence that soon enough, we will be the largest candy and chocolate retailer in the U.S. I already know we are the best, as what we offer is just the highest quality out there. And how we offer and present it is very fun, clean, exciting and limitless for our customers to enjoy. It’s just a matter of time before we are the largest.

How do you keep the Captain Candy brand fresh and exciting, and what guides your decisions when introducing new products or seasonal offerings?

We are always on the lookout for new products all over the world; we have never gone more than 1-2 months without adding something new to our locations, and that is mainly how we stay exciting. We do a detailed track on inventory to get more familiar with our customers’ taste buds. For example, we realized that in warm places, people really enjoy gummies and chocolate with natural fruity flavors, especially coconut and mango, while in colder places, people enjoy a lot more licorice-type candy. We use these studies to offer our customers exactly what they will like best.