Sweetz & More

All the Candy, Soda, Ice Cream, and More!

Remember those larger-than-life TV ads with the man “Big Al” wearing the full gorilla costume? His emporium turned roadside attraction, Big Al’s Super Values, was located on Route 1 in Wiscasset. And I bet you voiced in your head just now when reading “Route 1” saying it just the way Al Cohen or as he is better known, Big Al, always said with a booming voice with just a hint of a New York accent on those wacky commercials for his store. After 35 years in business, Big Al’s Super Values closed in January 2022. I had written up an earlier Maine adventure on the store and the man (see Big Al's Super Values), but like a sweet and mega colorful phoenix, the store has re-opened as a larger-than-life candy shop, Sweetz & More. New England’s largest candy store covering 8,100 square feet, Sweetz & More, boasts more than 7,500 products, including 800 kinds of sodas, 100 kinds of Pez, 30 kinds of popcorn, 30 flavors of ice cream, and 25 kinds of cotton candy to name just a few. Big Al himself couldn’t be more excited for the reincarnation of his landmark store. “I wanted something that I thought would enhance the town, that would be a destination in town like I was,” said Cohen, who still owns the building and leases it to Steve Jackson, owner of four other Sweetz & More stores in New Hampshire. Jackson is honored to continue Cohen’s legacy of having a shop that’s big, bold, and colorful. 

The other weekend I was up in Wiscasset with clients for showings. Unfortunately, the properties were not quite as advertised. Driving home past the store, I decided to stop in to check it out. After such dismal showings I needed a sweet treat pick-me-up. I was surprised at just how much of an assortment the store featured. This place definitely lives up to its advertising. I was immediately drawn to the candies that I haven’t seen since my childhood, you know, the old-timey penny candies. I was curious about the candy featuring real worms, grasshoppers, and ants. I was amused by the large assortment of gummy candies that actually looked like sushi, pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, and eggs and bacon. And I was terrified by Lil’ Nitro — a $10 gummy bear billed as the world’s hottest at 9 million Scoville units, which is about 900 times hotter than a jalapeño pepper. 

The store is a showcase of all things sweet with aisles and aisles of sugary goodness. It was kind of funny to see only a single pathetic looking shelving unit offering a few “sugar-free” items. C’mon, if you are shopping at the store, then you are there for a SUGAR FIX! The weather was a bit stormy the day of my visit, but that wasn’t stopping the steady flow of customers coming in and leaving with large bags of goodies. I showed great restraint and only picked up a few pieces of my childhood favorites like root beer barrels, non-pareils, and a box of “Boston Baked Beans” which are candy coated peanuts that resemble baked beans. Also picked up some of my favorite vintage gum flavors of Clove, Teaberry, Black Jack, and Beemans. Originating in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, these old time flavored gums come in packs of 5 sticks. Surprisingly, I found a birthday present for a friend from the wide assortment of Maine themed (appealing to all the visiting tourists) non-candy merchandise. There are t-shirts, mugs, hats, and other fun items that say you're in Maine. When friends and family come to town, this will definitely be a destination spot but just as fun for the locals. 

For candy shop owner Jackson, who has been in the candy business since college, Sweetz & More is the continuation of a lifelong passion. His motto is ‘Making the world a sweeter place, one day at a time.” I couldn’t agree more.