Whatever it takes to satisfy your sweet tooth, you are guaranteed to find it at Economy Candy. From retro favorites to seasonal standards, you’ll find them all crammed into this 83-year-old New York City shop. And that’s kept customers coming back for decades.

Skye Greenfield Cohen and her husband, Mitchell are the current owners of this treasure trove of sugary treats and she says, Economy Candy is not just for kids.

“Our customer base is everyone,” she said. “We have a large contingent of longtime customers who have been shopping with us for over 60 years as well as locals who remember coming in with their parents or grandparents when they were growing up.”

But as with so many New York City businesses, Coronavirus has caused Economy Candy to close its doors. The Cohens were forced to lay off their 13 employees, and now they’re working on their own to keep the business going, fulfilling online only orders.

“With the invention of the internet we were able to start shipping online orders nationwide, and we became an international tourist destination,” Greenfield Cohen says.

Still, their in-store sales have outpaced online orders, until now. With the city virtually locked down, those online orders have surged, which, Cohen knows, puts them way ahead of a lot of stores struggling in the face of impending disaster.

The business started life at one of the country’s most difficult times, as a shoe and hat repair shop on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, with a pushcart outside selling candy. When the Great Depression hit, the candy became the cash generator and so Economy Candy was born. When Mitchell’s grandfather, Morris “Moishe” Cohen came home from World War II, he took over the shop with his brother-in-law, selling candy, chocolates, gift baskets, nuts and dried fruits.

It’s truly a family business, passed down to Mitchell’s parents, Jerry and Ilene in 1985, and then to Mitchell and Skye in 2013. She knew early on that marrying Mitchell would make this her destiny.

“Mitchell grew up working with his parents at Economy Candy every Sunday, holiday and after school,” she says. “After our second date, he put me to work here on weekends and holidays, too.”

The pandemic could not have come at a worse time for a sweet shop, with Easter and Passover and the chocolate bunnies and sugared fruit slices that play a big part of the celebrations right around the corner.  But the Cohens are mindful of the legacy of the store as they come up with creative ways to keep the business going, like Candy Care Packs, designed to cheer up a friend or loved one in isolation. They come in Easter and Passover Packs to share with family members you probably won’t get to see over the holidays. But Cohen hopes the packs will do much more.

“The ultimate goal is that these online sales will cover our everyday costs,” she said, “and that we may be able to create a fund for our employees who are unable to work due to the orders to, essentially, shelter in place. We are thrilled to be able to keep spreading joy. We plan on Economy Candy being around for at least another 80-plus years.”