When the going gets tough, sometimes all it takes to help you get through your day is giving yourself a little treat. And for Daisi Vargas, that boost to the spirits takes its purest form in a piece of candy. “My slogan is ‘Living sweet,’” she says.
Vargas is the proprietor of New Paltz’s newest confectionery, Candy Carnival, which had its Grand Opening on May 1 at 501 Main Street. The storefront in the Ohioville Plaza, alongside Country Farms, used to house the local office of Nationwide Insurance. Can’t get any duller than that, right? But now the renovated space is bursting with color, with bright green carpeting to suggest a grassy field where a traveling carnival has popped up, and the walls are painted with bold red-and-white stripes like a circus tent. “Going to the carnival as a kid was always my favorite thing,” says Vargas.
It’s a cheerful atmosphere as soon as you walk in the front door, but the main attraction here is the shelves laden with jars and baskets of sweets. Vargas and her partner Shane Beesimer are going for the vibe of an old-fashioned penny-candy shop where you can mix and match to your tummy’s delight. You just grab a box and fill it with a little of this, a little of that, and then bring it to the counter to be weighed and make your purchase.
The selection of gummies, and similar chewy treats such as fruit slices, is particularly broad and eclectic, with some of the varieties rare and hard to find elsewhere. (This reporter was particularly charmed with a wiggly-legged, brightly striped gummy octopus, coated with sparkly sugar on the outside but nice and tart on the inside.) There are plenty of choices of hard candies, multicolored lollipops of all sizes and lots of classic favorite brands of wrapped candies.
Displays of candy kebabs, Gilliam Sticks candy canes in many flavors, giant jawbreakers, candy-coated pretzels and cookies vie for your attention as well. According to Vargas, freeze-dried candies, which spring to life when placed in the mouth, are among the most popular items with contemporary kids. Candy Carnival isn’t out to compete head-to-head with local artisan chocolatiers like Krause’s downtown, but chocolate-lovers won’t go away emptyhanded, either, with dispensers filled with perennial favorites like chocolate-coated raisins.
Ingredients are clearly labeled for those with dietary restrictions. Most of the candies are gluten-free, and Vargas says that very few of the shop’s products contain nuts. There’s also a generous selection of sugar-free items. Don’t see some vintage candy you crave from your own childhood? Tell Vargas and if it still exists, she’ll special-order it for you.
A New York City native, Vargas moved back to the area from Florida last year, but has deep roots in the community: Her mother was a social worker in the New Paltz Central School District for many years and lived in Modena when Vargas was a young girl. When her parents split up, she was often tasked with caring for her younger siblings. Daisi herself became a teen mom, dropping out of high school, but later earned her GED and went on to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. “I started from the bottom. My life was very hard,” she says, and sometimes a piece of candy was just the lift she needed. “I love all kinds of candies.”
It was the desire to make other children’s challenging lives a little sweeter that inspired her to become a candy entrepreneur, and to design her shop as a welcoming place for youngsters and their families to gather. “I want it to be a place where everyone can decompress…where you don’t have to worry about anything except having fun.”
To this end, Candy Carnival features more than just displays of sweets to purchase. There’s a cotton candy machine (strawberry, green apple or blue raspberry), a popcorn popper (sweet or salty), a hot dog grill, nachos and Mini Melts ice cream. “Eventually we’ll have a slushie machine,” Vargas says. Participatory activities include a free Foosball table, a coin-operated videogame console offering your choice of 40 different 1980s-style games and a “claw” arcade game that only costs $1 per play. There’s also a bank of coin dispensers for small toys, temporary tattoos and the like.
For grownups, Candy Carnival is meant to be a destination for party planning as well. Vargas offers consultations and catering services as a sideline, specializing in custom party favors with personalized packaging. Candy buffet tables are all the rage at birthday and graduation parties, baby and bridal showers, she says, and she’ll happily design one to your specifications. Carnival-themed gift baskets are also available, emphasizing candies and toys for the little ones and self-indulgences like bath and body care products for adult recipients. Seasonal holiday baskets will be featured throughout the year.
Candy Carnival is open from 12:30 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. To learn more or place an order, call (845) 650-3604 or visit www.candycarnival.net or www.instagram.com/candy_carnival2024/reel/C5JxSvYPiDX.
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