Mystic Sweets and
Ice Cream Shoppe -
VisitingNewEngland small business partnership
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe Offers Sweet, Old Fashioned
Experience in Downtown Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Article and photos by Eric Hurwitz.
Article
created on 6/4/2018.
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Upon entering Mystic Sweets and Ice Shoppe in Mystic, Conn., the most
wonderful feeling takes over the five senses.
The sight of chocolates everywhere pleases the eyes as much, in its own
way, as the beautiful coastal Mystic scenery. The sounds of kids acting
like kids, in, well, a candy store evokes the enthusiasm many adults
once
had before being taught to be practical and logical, as the sort-of
insightful Supertramp song once pointed out. The aromas of a store
jam-packed with chocolates brings back the sweet-smelling memories of
those
trips to the older, simpler hometown version of Hershey, Penn., or
walking downtown in your own town to the locally-owned candy shop to
just breathe in what seemed better than the fresh air our parents told
us to embrace -- because someday we'd be working inside at an office
every day. The thrill of choosing the right sweets signals the sense of
touch, thus sending good anticipatory feelings from our fingertips to
wise, intuitive receptors in the brain. Of course, taste reigns as the
most spectacular sense at Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe as the
small, nostalgic-looking storefront accomplishes something that few
other candy stores do -- that is, offer some of the best tasting
homemade chocolates, fudge and ice cream in New England under one small
business roof.
It's quite unusual for such a shop of this genre to be at the top of
the game within all three categories. Usually, it's one or two
excellent categories -- and even, sometimes, none -- but almost never
three.
Homemade vanilla chocolate chip fudge from Mystic Sweets and Ice
Cream Shoppe.
Rita Lara, owner of, and product designer at Mystic Sweets and Ice
Cream Shoppe, takes the art form of her job very seriously and clearly
to the next level to create the sweet masterpieces, but also comes
across in
the store as the friendly neighborhood mom or grandma-type that the
local
and vacationing kids probably know as the nice woman who makes all
those incredible chocolates, fudges, candies, truffles, ice cream,
gelato and other amazing
desserts. Rita, a Chicago native, even holds a certificate in ice
cream-making from Penn State University's agricultural department in
State College, Penn.! She continues to take classes to develop new
products, knowing that her profession is a lifelong learning process
with some trial and error along the way. Rita has also studied at the
Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy
in Canada and the United States, the Culinary Institute of America in
New York City, N.Y.,
and through an entrepreneurship program at Perdue University in West
Lafayette, Ind. She is also a member of the New England Retail
Confectioners Association that consists of "old-fashioned" candy makers
(as opposed to trendy and assembly-line types).
Once working in the building maintenance field, Rita felt a calling for
something more meaningful and enjoyable. She decided to open Mystic
Sweet Shoppe and Ice Cream in 1997.
"It's a whole other world," said Rita of her career change into
chocolate-making. "I started taking classes and one thing led to the
next."
Her artistry -- when it comes to creating chocolate products -- is
remarkable in
appearance and taste...
Chocolate Santas from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe. Photo credit: Rita Lara.
The store has come a long way since just being a penny candy shop and
Rita has been willing to work up to 14 hour days to craft a store with
her own vision, personality and products. Her boyfriend, Rick Stoppa, a
Coast Guard veteran, lends a valuable helping hand when he is not
teaching middle school, and a staff consisting of experienced and
younger employees contributes significantly with great customer service
and friendly personalities.
"We had to be better," said Rita, of Mystic Sweet's evolution. "I bring
in chocolates from all over the world to blend with cocoa butter.
That's what makes a true chocolatier. Tempering in a precise, correct
way should create a chocolate that has a snap to it, taste good and
smell good. The commercial stuff, it's too much sugar"
Rita Lara, owner of Mystic
Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Mystic, one
of the all-time classic, fun New England travel
destinations, is a pretty sweet place itself with a cute downtown and
plenty of shops and restaurants, beautiful water views, and famous
attractions like Mystic Seaport and the Mystic Aquarium. Within the
appealing downtown resides a few places for something sweet, but none
reach the high level of Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe. The
storefront's exterior sets the happy, welcoming tone with its colorful
ice cream cone and "Fresh Fudge," signs, blackboard specials, chairs, a
window
display with mouthwatering-looking candies and the sight of more yummy
things
everywhere upon looking through the windows into the warmly illuminated
shop.
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe storefront.
This isn't your basic, overpriced 21st century candy store with a
sterile feel on some lost highway in a desolate section of
"Anytown USA" or in a pretentious, trendy neighborhood. Mystic Sweets
and Ice Cream Shoppe has been well embedded
into downtown Mystic for more than 20 years with a joyful daily track
record of pleasing families and all walks of life, for that matter. It
is one of the true retail anchors of downtown Mystic and the type of
old-fashioned place you'd think was gone forever. The chipped
wood threshold at the entrance, white tile floor with black specks, old
fan in the front, ceiling fans, small tables by the big windows
overlooking the downtown, and the narrow, long store overflowing with
candies evokes feelings of the old-time candy shop or
general store. Touches of Mystic with model lighthouses, captains
and coastal paintings, along with regionally-themed candies like edible
sea glass and lobster lollipops, sweeten the overall Mystic
Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe vibe that much more.
Inside of Mystic
Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Mystic Sweets and Ice
Cream Shoppe features homemade candies and a nautical theme.
Edible sea glass from Mystic
Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
The somewhat disorganized, imperfect layout yields an experience that
was more common back in the day, but today comes across as refreshingly
unique in a
world that has become frequently generic and cookie cutter.
"You never know what's on the next shelf," said Rita. "People love to
try to find things that are different. We have plenty of that!"
Browsing the rows of candies and artisinal chocolates feels like
walking through
a museum or hall of fame for this type of genre, but soon enough
decisions have to be made to please the sweet tooth. Choices are either
made at the displays or at the retro counter where customers can order
ice cream cones or cups, sundaes, gelato, shakes, floats, frozen
lemonades, hot cocoa, tea, coffee, latte, espresso, cappuccino, or
anything
yummy behind the glass counter. The menu signs look good enough to eat!
Case-in-point...
Ice Cream sundae selection from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Rita makes the ice cream fresh on the premises made with local
Connecticut dairy,
and the taste is every bit as good as the best ice cream stands in New
England...
Homemade black raspberry ice cream
from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Some would prefer the sundaes over the regular ice cream, but either
way, you can't go wrong.
Strawberry ice cream sundae from Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream
Shoppe. Photo credit: Rita Lara.
Behind the counter, items like the dark
chocolate salted caramel fudge taste every bit as
good as the most heralded country store versions in New England, and
tempting items like the chocolate cashew clusters will have you go nuts
over the taste. Sorry for the bad pun.
Dark chocolate salted caramel from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Dark cashew clusters from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Although most of the products at Mystic Sweets are created by Rita,
customers will also find some of the familiar like gold coin
chocolates, and nostalgic candies...
Traditional bulk candies from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Nostalgic candies from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Chocolate Gold Coins from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Last but not least, Mystic Sweets even makes its own
popcorn...
Homemade popcorn from Mystic Sweets in Mystic, Conn.
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe remains most popular during
Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas and Easter, but stays busy
year-round. Summer vacationers love to eat in the store, or just a few
steps away while watching the mammoth Mystic Drawbridge with its
counterweight of 230 tons each and movable span length of 85 ft.
Mystic Drawbridge in downtown
Mystic.
Or, to just stroll the appealing small town central district with an
ice cream cone or
another dessert/snack of your choice...
Charming downtown Mystic.
One takeaway to the magic of Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe can be
seen in the large murals of angels throughout the store, thus
validating that this Mystic retail landmark is simply heavenly and a
gift from
the dessert gods.
"The better the product, the more work, and that's what we do," said
Rita. "I am very picky about what I use, blending flavors and using the
profiles I like. The kids wonder, "What is the next thing she is
going to create?' I love it when the kids come here. They come back
grown up from college, as parents... They used to call me Mrs. Fudge! I
really love what I do and, no, I have no plans of stopping any time
soon!"
Delicious fudge from
Mystic Sweets and Ice Cream Shoppe. Photo credit: Rita Lara.
Mystics Sweet
and Ice Cream Shoppe is located at 7 West Main St., Mystic CT.
Tel. 860-536-1616.
Web site: http://www.mystic-sweets.com. Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/mysticsweetshoppe. Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/mysticsweetshoppe.
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