Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop's Allison Holley (left) and Camille Alston
Allison Holley and Camille Alston got to know each other while running their businesses (Apple & Oak and N.B. Goods, respectively) in the Shops at Porter East. They did events together and became friends, so when Holley heard there was another space available in the popular shopping area in East Nashville, it didn’t take very long for them to decide they were going into business together. And it didn’t take long for them to brainstorm what that business should be. And given how both of them separately and together are revered as style-makers in the city, it likely won’t take long for Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop to take off.
“In this shopping center, almost all of the businesses are owner-operated,” says Alston, who also once worked for HiFi Cookies, also in the Shops at Porter East. “We all get to know each other. [Holley] and I have similar tastes, and we are the kind of people who get the job done. We are very like-minded.”
Their new venture, Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop, came about as they were spitballing ideas for the 240-square-foot space. Holley’s parents owned a candy shop, so she helped in the store growing up. Alston lived near the famous Economy Candy when she lived in New York, so they both saw the joy a candy shop could bring to a community. When they started delving into it, they noticed how few candy stores were in Nashville — and those that exist are downtown, rather than in neighborhoods like East Nashville.
Holley and Alston have been soliciting suggestions from friends and customers about what they should stock. Focus will be on candies that you may have forgotten about from your youth. Candy cigarettes? Check. Tins with hard raspberry candies? Check. Their personal favorites — peanut chews and Laffy Taffy? Also check and check. Lucky Rabbit will sell packaged candies and sodas with new offerings on the shelves every few months. Holley now eats a gluten-free diet and has to eschew some of her favorites, so yes, gluten-free and vegan options will also be available. Looking for a gift? Buy one of their old-fashioned tin lunch boxes and fill it with candy.
The duo loves the style and graphics of candy brands as much as the taste (well, almost), and they’re using that aesthetic to direct the design of the shop and their logo, which features a purple hare that will appeal to kids and adults.
Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop will open to the public at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. After that, they’ll be selling pre-packaged candy seven days a week. They’re still considering the hours, but there’s a possibility they’ll stay open long enough for you to pop in and grab a sweet before dinner at Noko. Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop will be located at 703 Porter Road. Merch is already available online.
