Sugar Stop Candy Shop launches in Ozark

Something sweet has emerged inside an Ozark convenience store near Lambert’s Cafe.  

Tuesday is the grand opening for Sugar Stop Candy Shop, which is in the 1690 W. State Highway J Signal Food Store. The concept is a first for Scrivener Oil Co. Inc., the parent company of the Signal chain of filling stations, said President Jami Jordan. She said the candy shop, which fills 1,500 square feet inside the convenience store, replaced a company-run Quiznos sandwich restaurant.

“It is an original idea,” Jordan said, adding company officials researched candy stores in Branson, Kansas City and Springfield before landing on the new venture. “One of the things we wanted to do was make sure it coordinated with our Signal brand, as they will exist together on billboards and signage. We wanted them to be cohesive. But we also wanted it to be colorful and bright. We wanted to do the candy by the pound as an option.”

Jordan said the Ozark Chamber of Commerce is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony as part of the grand opening celebration. Aside from bulk candy options such as chocolates, gummies and bubble gum, Sugar Stop, which officially opened Oct. 18, also sells saltwater taffy, fudge and nostalgic candies, including Astro Pop and Bit-O-Honey. Additionally, the store has a specialty soda cooler with unique options such as RC Cola and Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer.  

“We wanted it to be a candy store, not just some candy in a convenience store,” Jordan said, noting a desire to make Sugar Stop a destination visit. “We’ve got Lambert’s right next door and it just kind of seemed like a good fit.”

The store also has a robotic cotton candy vending machine that makes six flavors of the sugary treat in roughly a minute for $5, Jordan said, declining to disclose the shop’s startup costs.  

“It’s something you won’t see anywhere around here,” she said.

While Scrivener Oil operates 12 Signal stores in southwest Missouri, including three in Springfield, Jordan said Sugar Stop isn’t going to be a part of all of them.  

“We may have stations that fit the demographic to have something like this, more of the travel stops,” she said. “It definitely wouldn’t fit into all of our locations but if it’s successful we’ll definitely look for places where it might make a good addition.”