HIDDEN GWINNETT: LIKE A KID IN A CANDY STORE

By

Rocket Fizz takes visitors on a delicious trip down memory lane.

If you remember the good ol’ days of saddling up to the counter at a drugstore for a bottle of soda and candy, then prepare yourself for a colorful blast from the past.

Located in a sweet spot in Suwanee Town Center (see what we did there?), Rocket Fizz is a throwback concept store filled with salt water taffy, gag gifts, vintage tin signage and posters, as well as candies and glass bottled sodas from all over the United States and some from abroad.

Owner Jason Lewis was drawn to Rocket Fizz because it’s a place “that can’t help but make you smile. From the funny wall signs to the candy you haven’t seen since you were a kid, you walk in the store happy and you leave happy.”

The 400-choice soda section contains not only glass bottles of classic drinks (who remembers Jolt Cola, the stuff that kept you awake during math class in the 80s?), but also custom-made sodas such as pickle, birthday cake, butterbeer (from Harry Potter, for you Muggle readers), Britany Spears soda (which tastes like…?), brownie caramel cream root beer and more. Rocket Fizz also features its own line of sodas including fun flavors such as Kiss Kola, Buffalo Wing soda and Pumpkin Patch soda.

But for all that the soda collection offers, the candy selection is no slouch. The selection of over 1,000 candies includes long-lost classics such as candy cigarettes, bubble gum cigars, Mexican candy and licorice, as well as over 100 flavors of taffy (buttered popcorn or maple bacon taffy, anyone?). Rocket Fizz is truly a treasure trove of flavors, both new and old.

Lining the walls of the store are classic movie and concert posters, metal signs, action figures and comic books to complete the vintage feel.

Upon retiring after 20 years in law enforcement, owner Lewis decided to open the store in Suwanee because of the close-knit feel of the community, the large number of families, and variety of events in Town Center. The store has proven to be popular already; customer favorites include Chuckles, Chick-O-Sticks, Gilliams candy sticks and Charleston Chews.

“Customers say they love coming in because of the variety and it reminds them of the penny candy stores they had growing up,” said Lewis.