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“Gummy Bears!” yelled my 4-year-old cousin Evelyn Hosack as she runs up to a woman offering Gummy Bear samples to mall-goers and children with starry eyes. The woman is standing under the brightly lit “Lolli & Pops” sign, smiling and doling out samples left and right. When you enter Lolli & Pops, your senses are hit with stimulation from the sweet smell of sugar, upbeat tunes, vivid colors and bright lights. 

This hidden gem is found inside Jordan Creek Mall, which is presumably the most popular mall in West Des Moines. This dainty and magical candy shop is where kids might go to achieve a sugar high and adults might go to fulfill their sweet tooth cravings. It’s full of many wide-eyed guests, busy workers and over 70 flavors of bears. 

Every wall in the store is lined with containers full of cavity-causing delicacies. There’s even an entire section of gourmet cotton candy and gift-wrapped boozy gummies. This store gives you the experience of being 4 again as you ooh and ahh at every little thing you see. 

“I want sour ones!” Evelyn said to me as she ran up to a small display of Gummy Bear variations. A kind Lolli & Pops employee quickly approached us and struck up a conversation with Evelyn. After complimenting Evy and asking what we were in the store for, she offered each of us a sample bear. I chose strawberry banana, and it tasted like the smoothies my mom used to make me for breakfast – delicious. 

“Look! A Gummy Bear. All kinds of Gummy Bears!” Evelyn said as she jumped and pointed to a giant golden Gummy Bear display. This bear was bigger than her, and I could just see her eyes light up looking at it. She then took my hand and rushed me over to a wall with gummies she wanted to try and some variations of jars and containers. 

 “I love this store!” Evelyn said as we filled up a jar full of her favorite candies. Evelyn is like me in the sense that she enjoys more fruity gummies rather than chocolate. While filling up her jar, I noticed just how many unique things Lolli & Pops has. From boozy bears, to yummy energy bears filled with juice, to sweet and spicy bears and just about anything covered in chocolate, I never felt like something was missing. 

Once we carefully blended our own variety of candies, Evy also selected some candies from the stores, “trip down memory lane” section such as Kinder Eggs and Smarties Gummy Candy Rolls. I was glad that she would be able to experience the same joys I did as a kid. As a 6-year-old, nothing was better than cracking open a Kinder Egg to see what surprise was inside. 

At checkout, the total was slightly over $20, and that seemed reasonable for all that we got, especially considering I could bring back her jar and fill it for half the price. The sweet cashier also offered us chocolate coins on our way out. Now that we had purchased our candy, it was time to experience a sugar rush. 

Every bit of candy I had was unlike what you would find in your average candy shop. The Dreamsicle Gummy Bear flavor tasted just like a Dreamsicle Push-Pop out of my great-grandma’s freezer, and the concord grape gummy tasted like a cold glass of Welches grape juice from the fridge of my childhood home. These flavors took me back in time to the days when life was less stressful, and I hadn’t quite grown up yet. 

The Lolli & Pops store does what every magnificent candy store should do – bring you back to your childhood. After my experience in the store choosing flavors, laughing about the old candies I forgot about, and getting wide-eyed over the amazing selection, I felt like a kid again. But if you don’t want to be a kid again, don’t worry! There are boozy gummy bears for you, too.