Suitcase Sweets Sells Candy From Around The World In Lakewood Ranch

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL — Candy lovers will be excited to learn that there’s a new shop selling their unique sweets from around the world.

Months after moving their family from Ohio to the Bradenton area, Justin and Holly Fyffe opened Suitcase Sweets, which sells international, historic and artisan candy, along Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

The couple previously owned a candy shop, Tasty Days of Old, in their hometown. Jackson, located about an hour-and-a-half southeast of Columbus, is a “very, very small town” with only about 6,000 residents and a very different place from the Sarasota and Bradenton areas, Justin told Patch. They made the move to Florida because they were drawn to everything the region had to offer.

“We moved down here to give our kids a better life and so they can go to better schools,” he said. “And there’s just a lot more to do here than southern Ohio.”

They’d visited Florida for years because of family members throughout center and western regions of the state.

“So, I spent a lot of time down here during the summers and I learned to love the area,” Justin added.

When moving, it made sense to bring their candy shop with them. With so many tourists visiting and so many people moving to Manatee County, they sensed their store could do well in the area.

“We saw all the potential for business opportunities and growth,” he said.

After moving in the fall, they looked throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties, and settled on the Lakewood Ranch location for their shop, which was move-in ready, quickly. They opened their doors in February.

“We love Main Street because of all the events that they have here, like Fridays on Main and all the car shows they have here,” Justin said. “The street’s really good at bringing in the public and getting the community together with the events, which really helps the businesses thrive, as well.”

Events can draw thousands of people to the shopping and dining destination, he said. Things are going so well for Suitcase Sweets that they’re already considering their eventual expansion. They’re hoping to open at least one other store eventually and have considered as far south as Naples and as far north as Tampa for another location.

The couple hasn’t always been in the candy business. Justin is an engineer by trade and also taught engineering and robotics at the high school level.

His wife, Holly, was also an educator in Ohio. She taught social sciences, U.S. and world history, government, economics and psychology to high schoolers and college students.

Justin had always loved candy, though, and growing up, he traveled frequently with his family, taking cruises and road trips. His travels continued into adulthood – including a month-long trip with his wife and three young kids throughout Europe – and he’s always loved trying new treats at each destination.

“Traveling is in my blood. We traveled a lot and saw many countries,” he said. “And we’d always go to the candy stores. We love going to the sweet shops.”

An Ohio chain of international markets, Jungle Jim’s, which served numerous grocery items, including candy and chocolate, inspired him to open a shop of his own.

By day, he and Holly would teach, and in the evenings and on weekends they’d run Tasty Days of Old.

“There were a lot of 80-hour weeks,” Justin said.

As they build Suitcase Sweets, he runs the shop full-time, while Holly splits her time between the store and her new job as a historian and researcher.

He’s excited to share their unique products with shoppers. They offer everything from chocolates made around the world – Scotland, Peru, Belgium, India, Spain, Ukraine and French villages among the various places – to old-time candies.

Their inventory represents about 50 countries and their items are ordered from 85 vendors around the globe.

“The store is travel themed. That’s why you see all the pictures from different countries, all the vintage suitcases sitting on the shelves,” said Justin. “There are so many people here that either are traveling on vacation or moving here from some other country. There’s so much culture here. So, we came up with the name Suitcase Sweets. Basically, it’s a sweet shop that you can put in a suitcase and travel back with you or bring with you in your suitcase from another country.”