Sugarlicious, the sweet brainchild of Jill Landman-Alfond and her sister-in-law, Stacey Landman, is a boutique-style candy shop with upscale gifts, a smattering of gourmet kitchen goodies, and lots and lots of candy. The store is decorated like the inside of a girl's jewelry box (sparkles, glitter, shiny baubles) and houses something sugary for every imaginable taste: vintage favorites, European treats, gluten-free and vegan candies, and 250 bins of self-scoop candies that range from caffeinated gummy bears to chocolate-covered Rice Krispies.

"I stopped eating real food weeks ago," laughs Landman-Alfond.

Opening day, December 3, could have been a bust because of the weather, but a snowstorm didn't stop eager customers from checking out the new sugar shack, located at 3000 East Third Avenue, in the heart of the Cherry Creek North shopping district. "It was a blizzard, but we still had about thirty receipts for the day," Landman-Alfond remembers. "We were pretty surprised."

Several things make this shop particularly appealing, among them the Swedish specialty candies like salted licorice gummy tires, peach-flavored gummy penguins, sour Day of the Dead-style gummy skulls, and "Clodhoppers" -- a homemade creation of vanilla, milk or dark chocolate-coated clusters of crispy graham nuggets. Another asset is the liberal policy on sampling: It's fine as long as you keep your grimy digits out of the wares.

"Just use the scoop," Landman-Alfond implores.

Sugarlicious also offers monogrammed gifts like vintage-style train cases and diminutive candy bins with tiny scoops -- and Landman-Alfond can personalize them with whatever name you choose, even naughty ones for candy-licious romantic occasions.

Sugarlicious is definitely Cherry Creek-chic, and has enough fashionably vintage goodies for candy-nistas to do the time warp. Sky Bars, candy cigarettes, wax pop bottles, Mallo Cups and Mary Janes are a few of the old-school sweets, and Landman-Alfond is keen on the idea of stocking whatever hard-to-find treats her customers request.

"We have a bunch of different candy brokers, and people are not shy about asking for things they don't see," she says.

But looking around Sugarlicious is a treat unto itself, and we have the sweet, sweet photos for you right here:

• Cafe Society