The Candy Store Debuts on the Upper East Side

What are we going to do with the candy store?

That was the question when Phil Philips, owner of The Mansion Restaurant, his son John Philips, daughter Ariana Philips, and close family friend Tom Mazenis were discussing the then-empty space owned by the Philips family that once occupied a newsstand/lottery ticket/convenience store on East 86th Street, between York and East End avenues.

“Phil said, ‘Maybe we should do ice cream,’ ” says Mazenis, a veteran of corporate catering, who along with John co-managed The Mansion for decades. They teamed with Ariana, a publishing executive, to turn the suggestion into a new business venture.

“It seemed like a good time to join forces and revitalize the space,” says Ariana. “We have gelato, yogurt, and in a few more months, we’re going to have a soft-serve freezer here,” adds Mazenis. “We wanted to do an interesting mix of sweets and ice cream. And that’s how we are today.”

Without getting into exact numbers, Mazenis said that renovating the 200-square-foot space in a building that dates back to 1897 cost “a fairly substantial amount, simply because we had to tear down so much. We had to rip apart the bare walls, put in an entirely new floor with another support under it, a new ceiling, all new heating, air conditioning, electrical, and plumbing. It hadn’t been renovated in 40-plus years prior to our taking it over.”

Aside from the construction, the trio had to deal with the rules and regulations in New York City and New York State, which can be onerous at times. Hence, their summer 2025 opening was pushed to this past Oct. 15.

The only easy thing about the undertaking was deciding on the name. “We always called it the candy store,” says Ariana. “So, when we were thinking of new names, I was like, it’s got to be The Candy Store, and then built the product around that idea.” She also pointed out the logo emblazoned on their beautiful old-fashioned striped canopy, crediting Merlin Mannelly’s Design, Illustration, and Branding.

The most important thing that the partners wanted to achieve, according to Ariana, was to “maintain the space where anyone on the block who’s walking to the park, or the doormen, or whoever is walking by can still grab their day-to-day necessities. They have their Red Bull. They have their gum. We see the regulars every morning, and we know their orders by now.”

They also wanted something new and fresh. Says Mazenis, “We’ve incorporated in our selections here a wide variety. We have international products. We have old standards. We have some hard-to-find things. And we wanted an old-fashioned feel to it. We think we’ve achieved that.”

The Candy Store does offer a range of treats, but it’s the frozen ones that are the standout. The partners have collaborated with a creator in Queens to develop the store’s own flavor profiles, which are made at his facility and delivered to the store.

Even though Mazenis and the Philips siblings come from diverse professional backgrounds—which don’t include scooping ice cream—things so far are good.

Says Ariana, “It’s a people business at the end of the day. You have to be comfortable talking to everyone: the different vendors sourcing all of our products, and then just dealing with the customers on a day-to-day basis. That’s all the stuff that we have been doing for years before this. And because we’ve been in the neighborhood for so long [apropos The Mansion], we’re dealing with many of the same customers. It’s nice to have a lot of familiar faces who want to keep supporting us.”

But like any small business in Manhattan, The Candy Store faces challenges. The No. 1 being discoverability. Ariana admits, “We are a tiny store. Foot traffic is very important for us. So obviously the cold months, especially opening in the cold months, is a little difficult. But it just keeps increasing every day, and I think we’re really proud of that.” Mazenis points out the importance of social media when it comes to getting the word out about their business.

Pricing is a concern as well. The team is trying to keep things priced at a reasonable level, but as a small business, they cannot buy wholesale in the hundreds and store it. “We have nowhere to store anything,” Ariana says as she gestures to the compact space, “but we are making sure we’re being competitive in our prices. That is always something that we’re very aware of, because we want to make sure that we’re treating the neighborhood correctly.”

As The Candy Store comes up on its three-month anniversary, the partners are looking forward to tasting sweet success.

Mazenis concludes, “As a small business, we need to work our way up, and I think we’ll get there. We’ve got the staffing, the product line, the mix, the look of the store: A lot of the essential components are there to be successful.”

The Candy Store, 501 E. 86th St, New York, NY 10028, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find it on Instagram @Thecandystorenyc.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl, a frequent literary and entertainment contributor to Straus Media, is the author of the novel, “The Last Single Woman in New York City.”