Photo courtesy of Yelp.com

In the health-conscious city of Boulder, Rocket Fizz, the soda pop and candy shop located in the heart of Pearl Street Mall, acts as a respite for the sugar-cravers and diet-cheats. To the window shopping pedestrian, the store is unmistakable. From the street, a life-sized Spiderman sculpture beckons you into the store, his wrists poised to shoot webbing at any moment. The large window front hints at the kitsch inside, displaying cardboard cutouts of pop culture figures and retro posters. But the most luring feature is by far the variety of candy and soda inside.

The store’s interior is nothing short of a childhood fantasy. To truly enjoy the experience, you must first succumb to the utter chaos that is rows upon rows of contemporary and old-fashioned candies, toys, trinkets, gag-gifts, flavored sodas, lip balms, air fresheners, and magnets. The scattered layout appears to have been designed by a toddler with a mild sense of organization, with giant lollipops sprouting out of barrels like sunflowers, and candy packages stacked in tall towers. The boisterous design of Rocket Fizz is befitting of its products, which are anything but boring. Their trademark sodas come in such distinct flavors as ranch dressing, bacon, and peanut butter (and even pimple flavor for the brave of heart). For those suppressing a gag, don’t fret—the store carries classic flavors like root beer and cream soda as well.

Rocket Fizz offers both old-fashioned and contemporary candies. A candy connoisseur can purchase hard to find candies like Cow Tales caramel candy and candy cigarettes and present-day staples like Sour Patch Kids and Ring Pops. They even import international candies, setting the store apart from your average CVS. My personal favorite section is the stack of Pez dispensers in the corner, with figures ranging from SpongeBob to superheroes.

Boulder’s Rocket Fizz is the perfect place to buy gifts for the friend that has literally everything because I bet even they don’t own a Ron Weasley cardboard cut-out or The Walking Dead action figure. The gag gifts are ideal for white elephant and parties too.

This store is a portal for nostalgia and escapism. But more provoking than the words we use to describe it are the memories that are built there. You’ll always remember the time you drank buffalo wings soda or bought your friend bacon adhesive bandages. Be sure to stop into Rocket Fizz next time you’re perusing Pearl Street. The only thing you’ll regret is not trying the ranch flavored soda.

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