On Halloween day, New York City’s oldest retail candy shop flips its business model, giving away more treats than it sells. Economy Candy, a long-standing fixture on the Lower East Side, sets up outside its storefront to hand out massive amounts of candy to neighborhood children and locals.
Third-generation owner Mitchell Cohen considers the holiday the store’s “Super Bowl.” The annual community giveaway runs from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM outside their location at 108 Rivington St, where staff hand out large handfuls of free sweets to anyone who stops by.
Vintage Classics and Global Imports
The retail shop has been in business since 1937, steadily approaching its 100-year anniversary. The city recently recognized this legacy by co-naming the nearby corner after Cohen’s grandfather, Morris “Moishe” Cohen. Inside, the floor-to-ceiling shelves hold over 2,500 different items, preserving candies that many shoppers assume are no longer manufactured…