9+ Rhode Island Candy Shops That Will Make Your Valentine’s Day Extra Sweet

Via Getty Images.

Is there anything better than biting into a freshly unwrapped chocolate truffle, snuggled up with your loved ones on a cold winter’s night? Yes — knowing that truffle was handmade with care by a local entrepreneur whose livelihood depends on your sweet tooth. In Rhode Island, it’s easy to buy local when looking for tasty treats thanks to the abundance of small shops specializing in handmade toffee, chocolates, fudge and more. Not a chocolate connoisseur? The young and young at heart can beat the winter doldrums with a trip to an old-fashioned penny candy store, where even the most refined palates can’t resist digging into a barrel of nostalgic treats.

NORTH

Anchor Toffee

Providence and Newport

Peter and Katie Kelly founded their handmade toffee business out of Hope & Main in Warren in 2014, selling their sweet treats at local markets and events. By 2018, they’d outgrown the business incubator and moved their retail and commercial space to the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, in addition to a second store on Bowen’s Wharf in Newport that had opened in 2017.

Gift boxes from Anchor Toffee. Courtesy of Anchor Toffee.

Today, Anchor Toffee operates out of the Farm Fresh building in Providence, where candymaker Peter crafts tasty creations like the signature almond butter toffee, the coffee toffee and the vegan coconut almond toffee. Caramel-lovers will find their happy place in the handmade leathernecks — their version of a turtle, available in pecan, almond and cashew varieties — and chocolate fanatics can head over to the truffles for a taste of seasonal and year-round flavors. Better yet, grab a gift box featuring a little of everything, and maybe your favorite honey will share. 10 Sims Ave. Unit 112, Providence, 439-1517; 8 Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, 619-1044, anchortoffee.com

Aura’s Chocolate Bar

Cranston

Metallic chocolate flowers from Aura’s Chocolate Bar. Courtesy of Aura’s Chocolate Bar.

Another graduate of Hope & Main, Aura Fajardo Quintero combines flavors from her home country of Venezuela with fresh, local ingredients to create unique delicacies almost too beautiful to eat. The Johnson & Wales-trained pastry chef spent years working for bakeries and candy stores before opening her own business in 2017. Her artfully created candy bars feature unusual flavors like lemon lavender honey or raspberry and matcha swirl, and her sommelier series features collaborations with local wineries and distilleries for products like the Sons of Liberty whiskey-infused cacao nib chocolate bar and the Anchor & Hope rosé raspberry bar.

She also offers sweet treats for Valentine’s Day, including chocolate hearts that crack open to reveal a molded chocolate rose, and hot cocoa bombs for those chilly winter nights. Most products are handmade to order, so be sure to order ahead to ensure they’re ready in time for the special day. And stop by the Cranston location to browse or enroll in chocolate-making classes, so you can become a master of sweet treats, too. 250 East St., Cranston, auraschocolatebar.com

Candy4Pennies

Providence and Pawtucket

Theresa Snead opened her first candy store twenty-three years ago when she realized there was demand for old-fashioned penny candy. A hairstylist by trade, she started by offering individual pieces of candy in her salon for kids to enjoy while their mothers had their hair done, and the idea grew from there.

 “It went from a table, to one window in the store, to a candy store,” she says. 

Today, Candy4Pennies in Elmwood attracts customers young and old. While older generations tend to go for classics like Satellite Wafers and Mary Janes, she says, younger customers prefer sour flavors. “I’m a community mom — a lot of the young adults that are older now worked for the candy store when they were kids,” she says.

Last year, she opened a second location at the Green on Main indoor park in Pawtucket, with a third location planned for Bally’s Twin River in Lincoln. She also offers gift baskets and holds candy pop-ups throughout the year. 280 Elmwood Ave., Providence; 230 Main St., Pawtucket, 390-7102, candy4pennies.com

Pearls Candy and Nuts

North Smithfield

Open since 1991, this third-generation candy store cuts a striking figure in North Smithfield, where its candy-colored roof and jelly bean mural invite customers to come inside. The store is well-stocked to suit every taste, from old-fashioned novelties like candy buttons and caramel creams to decadent truffles from the candy case to fun treats including fudge and chocolate-covered potato chips. Pearls also offers a wide selection of sugar-free candy, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to indulge.

More than just chocolate, Pearls also sells dried fruit and nuts, with prewrapped snack mixes perfect for beating cravings or munching on the go. Choose from favorites like wasabi peanuts, yogurt raisins and chocolate-covered pretzels to mix and match your own gourmet snack spread or order one of the premade party platters for easy entertaining. Don’t forget to treat yourself at the fudge case before you go — penuche nut or blueberry cheesecake? You might just have to try a little of both. 4 Eddie Dowling Hwy., North Smithfield, 769-1166, pearlscandyandnuts.com

SOUTH

Hauser Chocolatier

Westerly

Hauser Chocolatier’s long history began in 1957, when Ruedi Hauser Sr. started apprenticing as a pastry chef and confectioner in his native Switzerland. The young chef would go on to work on the Holland America cruise line and open a pastry shop and catering company before he and his wife, Lucille, established Hauser Chocolatier in Bethel, Connecticut, in 1983. The family-owned chocolate shop later relocated to Westerly, where the Hauser family could pursue their other love, sailing. Eventually, Rudi Hauser Jr. and his son, Ravi Hauser, joined the company as well, making it a three-generation family affair.

A selection of truffles from Hauser Chocolatier. Courtesy of Hauser Chocolatier.

Today, Hauser Chocolatier produces fine, Swiss-style chocolates in its Rhode Island facility, which also makes treats under the Dan’s Chocolates, Tom and Sally’s and Chocolate Lace brands. Shoppers can browse the Westerly store for decadent chocolate bars along with truffles and other confections made onsite. “Our big seller always is our fresh ganache truffles,” says Lori Bueno, sales director for Hauser Foods, Inc. “The boxes of our truffles are especially sought after for most holidays. Customers are able to select the flavors in their box or we’ll do it on their behalf.”

After handing over the reins to Rudi Jr. in 2008, Ruedi Hauser Sr. is back in the kitchen, creating new chocolate delicacies for the next generation of Hauser fans. 59 Tom Harvey Rd., Westerly, 596-8866, hauserchocolates.com

Sweenor’s Chocolates

Wakefield and Cranston

Rhode Island’s best-known candy store started more than seventy years ago as a small home business in the kitchen of schoolteacher Walter Sweenor. Sweenor’s father had worked as a candymaker in Springfield, Massachusetts, and taught the trade to his son, who used the side hustle to make extra money during World War II.

Valentine’s Day heart boxes from Sweenor’s Chocolates. Courtesy of Sweenor’s Chocolates.

Seven decades later, Sweenor’s Chocolates now operates in two locations, including the original Garden City site and a storefront at the Wakefield production facility. Walter’s son Bill, and Bill’s son Brian, create the signature treats, focusing on quality chocolates made with fresh ingredients like nuts, honey and cream. Customers can build a box of chocolates from long-time classics like pecan clusters and vanilla caramels as well as festive favorites including sea salt toffee and peanut butter cups. Stop into the store for Valentine’s Day treats like chocolate pops and nonpareil hearts, or send a Valentine’s Day care package to your loved one from afar. 21 Charles St., Wakefield, 783-4433; 43 Hillside Rd., Cranston, 942-2720, sweenorschocolates.com

EAST

Newport Sweet Shoppe

Newport

Tucked into the bustle of downtown Newport is a chocolate-lover’s dream. One step inside the William Street store, and you’ll know you’ve come to the right place. The family-owned Newport Sweet Shoppe offers more than ninety varieties of milk, dark and white chocolate treats, from cashew turtles and sea salt caramels to tiramisu truffles and chocolate buttercreams. Amanda and Patrick Bryan purchased the store from the previous owners, bringing their own version of the classic, chocolate-dipped mainstays to the downtown streets.

A selection of sweet treats from Newport Sweet Shoppe. Courtesy of Newport Sweet Shoppe.

In addition to chocolates, the store offers custom, hand-decorated sugar cookies to use for party favors, holiday gatherings or just to munch, with heart shapes and chocolate-dipped strawberries (not to mention football designs) making an appearance in February. And, like any good seaside candy store, the Newport Sweet Shoppe offers several varieties of fudge along with molded, nautical-themed treats. 82 William St., Newport, 619-4600, newportsweetshoppe.com

The Newport Fudgery

Newport

For a classic oceanside taste that will bring you back to those long summer days, stop into the Newport Fudgery at either of its locations on Thames Street. The local shop has been handmaking fudge in flavors like penuche, chocolate chip and Oreo crunch for more than thirty-five years, ensuring the indulgent treat will taste just like you remember. Visitors can watch the fudge being poured from copper kettles to cool and harden before it’s stacked along the back wall to await hungry customers.

For more summertime nostalgia, choose from the barrel of saltwater taffy and be sure to grab an elephant ear on your way out. The French-style puffed pastry is made with cinnamon and dark brown sugar to create a crispy, caramelized crunch with every bite. Split one with your date or take it to go and enjoy a stroll on the town during Newport’s quiet season, when you’ll have the cobblestone streets all to yourself. 359 and 168 Thames St., Newport, 849-2228, newportfudgery.com 

Sweet Lorraine’s Candy Shoppe

Barrington

When Mufi and Bob Sullivan first moved to Barrington thirty years ago, the town had three candy stores. Over time, all three closed their doors, and the couple — who had no prior experience running a small business — joked that if nobody opened one in five years, they would. “We were driving down Waseca [Avenue] and we saw a for-rent sign in the window,” Mufi recalls.

Fifteen years in, the store is a beloved community business, with residents coming in to mark all of life’s holidays and milestones. The Sullivans prioritize locally made products, featuring chocolates from names like Sweenor’s, Hauser Chocolatier and the small businesses of Hope & Main. They also have a “penny” candy table at the entrance — ten cents apiece — for kids coming off the nearby East Bay Bike Path. For adults, Mufi says they stock chocolate roses and hearts for Valentine’s Day, along with small gifts for teachers and gift baskets of all sizes. Customers are welcome to pick out their own truffle boxes for their loved ones, ranging up to a forty-eight-piece box. “You get this wonderful chocolate smell when you walk in the door,” she adds.

The store is named for Mufi’s ninety-three-year-old mother, who still works the candy counter (“[She] eats more candy than she gives out,” Mufi says), and the couple’s adult children help out when they’re home for the holidays. 211 Waseca Ave., Barrington, 245-1168, sweetlorrainescandy.com

Even more Rhode Island shops to indulge your sweet tooth:

Novelty candy can be found at Candy4Pennies, Sweet Lorraine’s Candy Shoppe and Pearls Candy and Nuts. Photo via Getty Images.

The Chocolate Boutique
245 Phenix Ave., Cranston, 942-5106

Willa’s Sweet Shack
431 Thames St., Newport, willasshop.com

Jennifer’s Chocolates
160 Old Tower Hill Rd., Wakefield, 783-8423, jenschocolates.com

Seacoast Sweets (online only)
877-503-4477, seacoastsweets.com

Hawt Chocolate (online/pop-up only) hawtchocolatepvd.com

Lady Ann Candies
86 Warwick Industrial Dr., Warwick, 888-486-3767, candylandmarket.com

The Chocolate Shoppe
7 West Main St., North Kingstown, thechocolateshoppe.net

The Chocolate Delicacy
28 Gilbane St., Warwick, 884-4949, chocolatedelicacy.com

Main Street Candy (seasonal)
324 Main St., Wakefield, 789-1323

Kilwins
262 Thames St., Newport, 619-3998, kilwins.com

Lolli & Pops
Providence Place Mall, 854-9924, lolliandpops.com