Elisabeth Sapell admits that she has a sweet tooth. But she also grew up in her family’s grocery store, Sapell’s Bi-Rite in Lakewood. So she paired her love for candy with her knowledge of the grocery store industry and will soon open the supermarket of candy stores, Candytropolis on Richmond Road across from Richmond Mall.

“It’s a large candy superstore,” Sapell explains. “It’s 6,000 square feet of pretty much every candy you can think of. You name it, it will be there. It’s a city with the streets lined with colorful candy fun.”

Sapell wanted to start her own business for a while before she came up with the idea for Candytropolis and joined Bad Girl Ventures' spring 2013 class. While she acknowledges the candy market is saturated, Sapell’s vision of a superstore that carries variety, specialty items and gift baskets, paired with a prominent online presence, will set her apart from the rest.

And Sapell has candy. “Candy makes everyone happy,” she gushes, pointing out that different candies conjure up nostalgic memories to any age. “It’s recession proof. Everyone wants a treat when times are tough.”

But Sapell also has a solid business plan in place. In fact, she was a finalist in the BGV business plan competition, and the experience helped solidify her vision.

“It was the opportunity to go to the classes, meet a lot of people and make connections,” she says. “And I wanted to be around like-minded people who wanted to do something on their own terms. It gets lonely when you’re trying to plan.” She also received an SBA loan after learning about the option through the BGV program.

Sapell recently hired an assistant manager and has candidates lined up for stock people, cashiers, a team leader and a social media specialist. Candytropolis is scheduled to open in September.

Source: Elisabeth Sapell
Writer: Karin Connelly