Three more sleeps and children throughout the Ohio Valley will awaken Saturday morning to discover presents under the tree and a host of delicious treats inside their stockings.
Parents not wanting to get one-upped by the big guy still have time to snag some last-minute stocking stuffers and bolster their Christmas-morning candy arsenal. But surely all the shelves are picked clean of the good stuff, right?
That’s where you’d be wrong. Swing down to the Plaza on Market, specifically to Lucky Candies 2 at 1601 Market Street, and see co-owner and manager Anton Drake. He’ll be able to outfit you with a whole assortment of candies and sweets of all shapes and sizes.
Lucky Candies 2 is the sister shop to the original Lucky Candies, located in nearby Belle Vernon, Pa. It’s owned and operated by Anissa Drake, Anton’s sister, along with Bill Malie. When the space become available on market street, the Drakes felt this could be an excellent spot for a second store.
And right they were.
“Obviously the day after Halloween probably wasn’t the best time to open a candy store, but we’ve been really steady since we’ve opened and it’s been busy this last week,” Drake said earlier Wednesday.
As mentioned above, there’s still time to stop down to get those last-minute Christmas goodies. Lucky Candies 2, which is normally open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., will operate on its regular schedule Thursday and close up early Christmas Eve. That leaves shoppers with plenty of time.
Lucky Candies 2 does offer a varied assortment of delicious treats. One of the big selling points, however, is the $5 fill it up box. Drake has a number of boxes ready to be grabbed, stuffed full with more than 80 different types of candy, and purchased for only $5 apiece. That’s not a bad deal at all. On the multiple shelves that contain candies able to fill the box include Airheads, Starburst, Tootsie Rolls; Zots; Fireballs, and lot more options. You name it, it’s probably there.
Some of the international flavors at Lucky Candies 2, including crisps from Tayto. 
Lucky Candies 2 has a unique assortment of items great for stocking stuffers, as well as regular snacking.
Don’t Forget the Crisps
Lucky Candies 2 also boats a section with international flavor, with candies and other snacks from countries like Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. This writer, amongst his near $20 worth of goods, decided to try two bags of Tayto crisps from County Armagh in Northern Ireland.
There are salt and vinegar chips, and then there are Tayto salt and vinegar chips. The difference is noticeable, and worth a purchase. I also tried a bag of roasted chicken flavor. I pondered aloud it might taste, and Drake assured me they were, in fact, quite tasty. The man wasn’t wrong. It reminded you of eating rotisserie chicken, but crispy.
There were plenty of other chocolatey options, along with Pocky sticks, and various flavors of international origin.
Toward the front of the candy shop, Lucky Candies 2 features what I’d consider a shelf full of old-school style candy. You’ll find pop rocks, candy cigarettes, sugar babies, and other classic flavors that Gen-Xers and older will come to appreciate. I know I saw a box of bottlecaps I’ll be returning to purchase.
For more information, visit Lucky Candies 2’s Facebook page, or better yet, stop down this week and see Drake and pick up those last-minute stocking stuffers. Your children, and your sweet tooth, will be glad you did.
