Campus Candy & Yogurt announced earlier this month that it would be closing its doors on Dec. 18, after serving as a University Boulevard staple for five years.
The store will be closing due to the impact of lower profits during the summer and winter months.
Campus Candy employee Nathan McKelvey shared a little more about why the store would be closing.
“It’s really due to slower sales — we don’t sell as much as we did maybe three or four years ago,” McKelvey said. “Our profits are just so much lower, and, honestly, it really just isn’t what it used to be.”
McKelvey also said that many customers have started to choose chain yogurt and candy stores rather than going to Campus Candy. Despite the decrease in sales, McKelvey said that the customers are still greatly appreciated and will be missed.
To other customers, like University of Arizona student Abbigail Riley, Campus Candy has been a valuable source when other candy stores have failed.
“For my sorority, we had a candy-themed bid day, so my friends and I were driving all over trying to look for those candy necklaces,” Riley said. “It felt like we went to every store and could not find them.”
Campus Candy has long been a hot spot for students to enjoy a sweet treat and socialize with friends while doing so.
UA junior Kyle Della Giustina remembered the role that the store played in his first few weeks of college.
“Campus Candy is where I met my best friend at the UA, and for that, it will always be a special place to me,” Della Giustina said.
Campus Candy has also served as a place for returning students to receive unexpected guidance. UA junior Marisa Edmonston recalled how one Campus Candy employee had comforting advice for her.
“I was with my mom. We had just finished moving in for my junior year and we were talking about how nervous I was for this year,” Edmonston said. “Then the Campus Candy employee started reassuring me and giving me pretty deep advice for the year. It was pretty funny, but also made me feel a lot better.”
The owners of Campus Candy are involved in other businesses and have decided not to relocate the store and opt for a complete closing instead, according to McKelvey. To commemorate their closing, all candy will be 50% off and yogurt is “All You Can Fill” for $5 until their closing date.
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The closing of Campus Candy may prove bittersweet for many UA students who have made friends there.
Sophomore UA student Sara Dyer said, “I went there a lot my freshman year and it’s where I got close to a lot of my best friends. I’m sad that it’s closing, I think that their presence will be missed a lot on University.”
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