After 52 years, classic Berkeley candy and toy shop to close

Berkeley’s Sweet Dreams candy shop is closing its doors for good in January, after more than half a century in business, as first reported by Berkeleyside.

In a world geared towards Amazon shopping and drug store candy, the Elmwood shop is a time capsule: an old-school store with candies priced by the quarter- and half-pound. The store’s wooden shelves are lined with glass jars of chocolates, gummies and hard candies.

Gary Gendel opened Sweet Dreams’ first location on College Ave. in 1971. Two years later, he opened a toy shop down the block, which would later become Sweet Dreams Toy Store. Over the years, Sweet Dreams locations popped up – and eventually closed – in Palo Alto, Orinda and Concord. 

Sweet Dreams built a loyal following among Berkeley families, who filled its nearby, recently shuttered toy store for gifts every holiday season. In the 1990s, Sweet Dreams even witnessed the high point of the Beanie Baby craze, with the owner shutting down the store and limiting access to three shoppers at a time.

Gendel died in August. The Sweet Dreams Toy Store closed only a few weeks before. His wife Lucia Gendel took over Sweet Dreams, moving the toy store’s remaining inventory into the original sweet shop. Lucia Gendel plans to keep Sweet Dreams open for a few months longer to give the community a chance to say goodbye, Berkeleyside reported. The store’s final day of business is Jan. 15, 2024.

“Gary loved the Berkeley community,” she told Berkeleyside.