Retro candy connoisseurs take Niverville on a sugar high

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This article was published 02/12/2022 (1249 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To have a candy store owner choose their favourite type of sweet seems like a tough ask, yet the owners of a new retro and imported candy shop in Niverville know exactly what to pick when a craving hits.

For Ashley Singh, it’s chips or Milka, the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate imported from Germany. Though the hankerings change depending on the day — she is seven months pregnant, after all.

For husband Askash, it’s the spicy siracha chips which remind him of spices back home in India, or gummies his aunt living in Canada used to bring him as a child when she visited.

“If I can bring that nostalgic feeling to someone I get eating this stuff that’s all I want,” Askash said from his and his wife’s shop, Dope Treats.

The interior boasts shelves with snacks from overseas and rarities a weekend trip to Grand Forks can’t net. Imported Japanese Hershey’s cookies and retro bonbon Razzles in multiple flavours await customers looking for a taste of their childhood or a place they once knew.

Askash is particularly fond of their stock of Prime Hydration sports drinks, a collaboration between YouTube personalities Logan Paul and KSI and a hard-to-find product across North America due to its wild popularity.

Where does he get it all from?

“From my guy,” he said with a smirk.

The husband-and-wife duo are a month into their confectionary venture with no cavities quite yet.

What started as a way to surprise her husband, a self-proclaimed former pot-smoker, with snacks to munch on he couldn’t find at any old gas station or grocery store, has grown into an online presence, market appearances and now a brick-and-mortar shop with their sights already set on what’s next.

After getting an initial taste of something different than the usual candy aisle offerings, the couple continued to order the rare treats online.

“(Ashley) was like, “I think more people are in the same boat as well,’” Askash said. Soon, the two took matters into their own hands and thus began the process of licensing and leasing to bring their concept to the public.

Ashley and Askash also claim the title of “candy curator.” The pair work with their suppliers to bring in products customers want — if the price is right. Import fees and limited runs of products jack up the price of product, Ashley said.

Apart from a few shops in Winnipeg with the same offerings, Dope Treats is distinct in that they do not shy away from their target audience: teens and those with an affinity for recreational marijuana.

The pair are brainstorming with local cannabis retailer Urban Flavours to see if they can stock their snacks in the dispensary, making it a one-stop shop for cannabis products and the snacks which will surely be needed after the former is consumed.

Though, it’s not the only crowd they hope to capture.

Ashley has been putting in work throughout the community, donating boxes of sweets to health care workers and Niverville Middle School for their student of the month program, while Askash delivers online orders to sweet tooths in the surrounding area all the way to Winnipeg.

The duo also have plans to extend their sugar-free offerings and expand the shop’s inventory to include protein products to cater to a health-conscious crowd. During summer months they plan to open the back room of the shop to serve slushies and frozen yogurt.

While any business owner is rightfully concerned with the profitability of a new venture, the Singh’s still get a sweet deal if it all dissolves.

“At least we have snacks for a long time,” Ashley said with a laugh.

Askash said the business will take their once-small venture on a sugar rush.

“It doesn’t matter what age, race, sex they are, everyone comes in with the same excited reaction,” Askash said.

“That’s the best part of this.”