Sea Shack Candy Co. blends Swedish confections with charm for a new destination candy shop that delights locals and visitors in Carmel, California.In the seaside town of Carmel, California, a new kind of candy store is making waves. With pastel stripes, glass jars filled with colorful sweets and a cheerful beachside vibe, Sea Shack Candy Co. has quickly become a must-stop shop for locals and tourists strolling through the coastal community’s charming downtown. Owner Tiffany Bufkin says the inspiration came from an unexpected place — a rainy-day trip to San Francisco.
“I knew nothing about Swedish candy,” she says. “I was in San Francisco with my youngest daughter. I have three children, two in college and one still in high school. And she was like, ‘Mom, we don’t have anything going on, and it’s pouring rain. We need to Uber to the Swedish candy store.’”
Her first thought was, ‘What is Swedish candy?’ and all she could think of was the popular red gummy candy Swedish Fish.
Her daughter explained that it was a whole trend on TikTok, so Bufkin agreed to check it out. “We go to this little store that’s about 300 square feet in San Francisco, and I fell in love with this candy store.”
The store featured cute glass jars filled with all sorts of candy in various colors, flavors and shapes. “When we left there, all I kept thinking about was the candy store and how downtown Carmel didn’t really have a candy store that carried Swedish candy or anything super unique,” she says.
That thought quickly turned into action. “I half-jokingly said to my husband, I think I’m going to open a Swedish candy store,” she recalls. His reaction was, “What?” and she responded, “Yes, I cannot stop thinking about the Swedish candy store.”
By July 4, Bufkin’s dream became a reality. She opened Sea Shack Candy Co. — a bright, beachy space filled with imported European sweets and coastal character.
“I found a cute, darling little space in downtown Carmel, and just kind of jumped off a cliff and opened this really cute coastal candy store,” she says.
Coastal meets SwedishBufkin imports her candy directly from Sweden, as well as from other parts of Europe. “We do have some other candy that is not [from Sweden],” she explains.
 The Sea Shack Candy Co. name can be found throughout the store, on the back wall.
“We set our store up as a pick and mix, where you build your own bag,” she explains. “Each bin has its own tong or scoop, and all of our candy is labeled so you can see where the origin of each candy is — Sweden, Spain, the U.K., Germany.”
The name Sea Shack carries a personal connection, too. “I named my very first little tiny cottage that I lived in in downtown Carmel when I was single the Sea Shack. It looked like a little shack,” Bufkin says. “Every house that I’ve lived in, I’ve taken the Sea Shack name with me. Everyone in Carmel knows our family as the Sea Shack, where the name of our store originated from.”
Cleaner candyPart of the store’s appeal comes from the quality and care behind the sweets it sells. “The cool thing about Swedish candy is there’s generally no GMOs. The ingredients are a little cleaner than the candy that’s made here in the U.S.,” Bufkin explains. “They use different types of dyes, like all-natural turmeric and beets.”
That difference in quality, she says, is noticeable. “You can really tell when you start eating Swedish candy that there’s a difference,” she explains. “A lot of it doesn’t have gelatin. It’s not completely gluten-free, but you will find a lot of no gelatin, no gluten, no Red 40 in the candy that we’re sourcing.”
Bufkin says customers love the variety of shapes and colors, which often surprise first-time visitors.
 The store features a colorful selection of candies from all over Europe for customers to try, including these pink Sour Piglets.
Among her top sellers is a viral brand from Sweden. “We do carry one of the top brands of Swedish candy currently that has gone viral on TikTok — it’s called Bubs,” she says. “We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve had a pretty decent, steady supply since we’ve opened our store, because there has been an overall shortage of Bubs in the world, even in Sweden.”
Far away fansSocial media has played a huge role in building the store’s buzz. “Candy has been a really fun way to connect with people from all over,” Bufkin says. “They’re finding us on TikTok and Instagram, and people are really seeking out Swedish candy, I think because of TikTok. I have people that drive to our store from Fresno, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, just to walk in the store because they saw it on TikTok.”
From the start, branding has been key to Sea Shack Candy Co.’s identity. “We’re known for our stripes,” she says. “My name is Tiffany, but I have Tiffany blue stripes on the back wall. Our bags are the same as the wall in our store, and all our bags are different colored stripes, which have been fun.”
That cohesive look has attracted attention — and business. She recently received an order for 100 bags of her candy from a gentleman who is hosting a baby shower for his wife. “He lives in a coastal town and fell in love with our bags because we were at The Quail car show this year. He’s like, ‘I want you to create a mix for my wife for her baby shower.’ So I’m getting ready to ship him those bags right now.”
 Sea Shack Candy Co. is pet friendly, with some special treats just for furry friends and a water bowl outside. The store doors are open, encouraging passersby to come inside.
The store also has a full line of Sea Shack Candy Co. apparel in both youth and adult sizes — everything from sweatshirts, T-shirts, and hats to cozy seasonal pieces.
Spreading joyBufkin says the store also serves a deeper purpose for her family and community. “I had two kids going to college this year, and I only had one kid left at home,” she says. “I was like, what am I going to do when all these kids are gone?”
She thought what better way to stay connected to the community than to give the kids a space to have a first job “because without experience, it’s hard to go get that first job, so employing a lot of the kids that I have watched grow up has been super fun,” she says.
While running a candy shop is a happy existence, Bufkin admits, it is still a job.
“It is definitely work, but it’s fun work,” she says. “The one thing I say about the candy store is no one comes into the candy store upset so our mission was to spread joy. If you want to spread joy, open a candy store, because everyone seems to be pretty happy.”
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