Lick Candy Store

Lick Candy Store

With a name like Lick, it’s a retail concept that’s hard to ignore. Lick is the adult candy store created by the Marshall Retail Group. Candy stores, especially those for more mature tastes, are growing in the United States, with stores such as Lick, Dylan’s and Sugarfina. According to the National Confectioners Association, candy is a $33 billion industry, with no indicators of slowing down. Lick candy stores started in 2010, with nine stores currently operating around the U.S. When Lick built its Las Vegas store at Mandalay Bay, they wanted to improve the build-out time and material costs.

The Design Challenge:

With every store, Lick’s design challenge is about showcasing the product. Many footprints are small so creating visual impact from the moment you see the store is tricky. “We format our stores to create multiple focal points without taking away precious square footage,” said Deborah Sylva, director of store design and construction for MRG. The store front and interior use bright colors and interesting graphics to draw customers into the store. To contrast the bright trim colors, Lick uses white, dotted panels to cover most of the exterior and interior walls. “It visually represents the look of gumballs or bubbles to give us that image of candy from the moment you see the store,” says Sylva. In past installations, the “gumball” panels were made from embossed metal and although they performed well, they were cost prohibitive and their intense field fabrication made them difficult to install.

ATI's Solution:

Enter ATI’s MirroFlex, the thermoplastic laminate that can be cut onsite with scissors. MirroFlex’s Dome pattern was a replica of the “gumball” metal panels Lick had used in the past, with several significant differences: lighter, flexible and less expensive to name a few. “We switched from metal to MirroFlex for two reasons: MirroFlex is economical and it’s easier to install,” said Sylva. “The contractors really liked working with ATI’s material, much more than the metal panels we had before. And our account rep was super responsive to requests for product or questions about product.” But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. “The materials were installed in 2012 and they’ve held up great,” said Sylva. “Our facilities and maintenance team hasn’t had to repair anything.” By switching out metal for MirroFlex, Sylva created significant savings on material and installation costs: a sweet victory for the design team. “Our experience with ATI has been fantastic,” said Sylva.