BISBEE – Like a kid running amok in a candy shop, Mark Pierce is having the time of his life.
That’s because Pierce – in his trademark bowler hat, bushy beard and distinctive Woody Allen- style black-frame glasses – has been set loose in his own candy store, Hugo’s Ship Candy Shop, that he’s anchored in the historic Allen District of Old Bisbee.
Opened in October, it’s as close to the Good Ship Lollipop and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory as it gets.
Pierce – who started Bisbee Soap and Sundry with his wife, Amber Avery-Pierce, eight years ago on Main Street – can’t seem to stay away from starting quirky little businesses in Old Bisbee.
But this one, Hugh’s Ship Candy Shop at 2 Shearer Ave., is as offbeat and sweet as they come.
Pierce, who plays fiddle in the Whiskey Lickers band and has played upright bass in scores of others for year, wouldn’t have it any other way.
At the moment, he’s having more fun than the kids who run into his one-of-a-kind nostalgic candy shop modeled after older versions that dotted the American landscape in the 1950s. They literally dance in front of his colorful candy displays filled with jars of whirly tops, Pez dispensers and rainbow-colored candy sticks along with Sugar Daddy caramel lollipops, candy cigarettes and scores of other memorable candies. He even has bags of root beer barrels, freeze-dried candy, salt water taffy varieties and Scottie dog licorice scattered on shelves.
“Everyday is a fun day at the candy shop,” said Pierce. “Wouldn’t you want to dance around a place like this?”
You can hardly blame them.
Pierce also has stocked toys and accessories kids can’t keep their hands off like kazoos, kaleidoscopes and board games like Chinese checkers.
He’s also making his own handcrafted peanut brittle, chocolate and chiltepin fudge at a commissary kitchen in Tucson. As he did with Bisbee Soap and Sundry, Pierce has set up a mail order business for his homemade candy that already has a clientele ordering sizable orders.
“I’ve basically just opened, and it’s doing surprisingly well,” said Pierce.
But after eight years of running the soap business he says has seen a steady uptick of sales since he and his wife opened the doors, it’s hardly surprising that Hugo’s Ship Candy Shop is already off to a strong start. Pierce knows how to make a business – whether it’s soap or candy – come to life and thrive. He also markets gift boxes with his fudge and peanut brittle on his website at www.hugosship.com.
“I know how to hustle, and I like to make things happen,” he said. “We also like to create things because to create is to enjoy your work. I work a lot so it feels like I’m creating enjoyment for myself and for everyone who comes in here. Watching kids dance around when they see all this cool candy with their parents is sheer enjoyment. It’s a fun place to shop and conduct business.
“Basically, I’m having a blast.”
After years of working in restaurants and bars around Bisbee, the Pierces changed directions in 2014. Amber’s aunt ran a soap business and store in New Mexico for more than 20 years and had always encouraged Amber to get her hand in the business; by then the Pierces were more than ready, and they launched Bisbee Soap and Sundry. They began making all of their handcrafted soaps and oils themselves.
Until they moved four years ago, they set up shop at 75 Main St. and decked it out like an old-fashioned apothecary with bottles of lotions, liniments and oils lining shelves, along with tins of salves and lip balms, candles, and boxes of hefty, handcrafted bars of soap. They were selling their products online, and it quickly found a market. Business was steady, and it kept growing.
For tourists and residents, walking into Bisbee Soap and Sundry was like stepping into another world with scents ranging from pine and cedar to grapefruit mint and lemongrass. And of course, there was the uniquely Bisbee array of smells like creosote, dirt, dirty hippie and patchouli.
They even produced a holiday line of scents that included pumpkin pie, gingerbread and spiced apple that smelled good enough to eat.
Almost like you were in a candy store called Hugo’s Ship Candy Shop.