Kelowna candy store opens with Willy Wonka-inspired moving displays
A sweet new candy and treat shop in Kelowna is having a grand opening on Canada Day and there are already customers trickling in to check it out.
Daynna Barkley, owner of Von Schweets Treat Shop, soft-opened a few days ago to get feedback from customers and iron out any kinks before the big day.
“I’m already loving interacting with customers and they’re letting me know what else to bring in,” he said. “The Dutch salted black licorice is one, several have asked for it so we’re going to bring some of that in.”
The treat shop carries over 1,000 different kinds of candy and treats along with ice cream from D Dutchmen Dairy and artisanal drinks sourced from Italy and the United Kingdom. There is a carnival-themed section with cotton candy, mini donuts and caramel corn, and a lollipop wall made with 700 lollipops.
Barkley built interactive displays throughout the store where customers can push “fun buttons” to make them move.
"I took inspiration from the original Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder and made moving displays with pistons pumping up and down, sprockets moving and candy going along on conveyors," he said. "We call them fun buttons because it makes people smile."
Barkley said for a candy store, it’s large.
“There are lots of tightly-packed candy stores where there’s not room to bend down and look at stuff on lower shelves so my goal was to have grocery store sized aisles,” he said.
He has 315 bins full of candy.
“I’ve cleared out two of the largest wholesalers in Canada, taken everything they have and I still have 30 bins left I have to find product for.”
When asked why he opened a candy and treat shop, Barkley said “everybody loves candy, it would be weird for me not to open one.”
It took a lot of work and risk to make the candy store business a reality for Barkley. He’d been in the construction industry and owned a garage door company in Calgary.
“I’d always wanted to try something new but continued doing something I didn’t love, I counted on the income and there’s always risk when trying something new.”
When the pandemic and related restrictions came along, Barkley’s garage door company took a nosedive because “people weren’t leaving their houses so no one was using their garage doors.” He said he had to either rebuild or start something new. He and his wife moved to Kelowna because of family connections and bought a house while he researched business opportunities.
“I looked at opening a family fun centre but with the lease rates here it wasn’t feasible,” he said. “I wanted to move into a fun business where people are happy and spend money because they want to, not because they have to.”
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Barkley took over the lease at a former swimsuit shop on Bernard Avenue and spent months renovating. He said he did most of the construction on his own and it's been a long, often challenging process. He loves the downtown location where there is lots of foot traffic and tourists.
“We got it up to snuff and here we are selling candy now," he said. "We have a long way to go financially but it looks promising. I'm enjoying the customer interactions and we have a great team of staff here. It’s different when you love what you’re doing and everyone that comes in loves it.”
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Located at 539 Bernard Avenue, Von Schweets Treat Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturdays. The grand opening is at 10 a.m. on July 1.
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