Omaha’s Hollywood Candy adds sweetness to movie fun
Still on a sugar high from the holidays? Or, maybe looking for some where to spend some that dinero you got as gifts?
Maybe, you just want to get out and away from the relatives for a while, or just out of the house after the recent cold spell.
Instead of heading to the mall, visit Hollywood Candy in Omaha’s Old Market.
Hollywood Candy is home to an eclectic collection of nostalgic candy and soda pop, as well as movie-themed memorabilia.
As you enter the store on Jackson Street, you are welcomed by life-sized figures of the Blues Brothers. Jake and Elwood (Dan Akroyd and John Belushi in the movie “The Blues Brothers) are available for pictures.
I overheard a family comment that they may not have seen Santa Claus during their visit to the Old Market, but they get a family picture with the Blues Brothers. In the dad’s opinion, they couldn’t have done much better.
The store has a large collection of sweets. Shelves and containers full of taffy, jellies, and lollipops. You can get Bing bars, Charleston Chew, Bit O Honey and even Clark bars. Enough sweets to put anyone into a sugar coma.
Pop! Soda! Whatever you call it; there were lots of it. Dad’s Root Beer, orange pop, grape soda. All kinds of old sodas. Even old Pepsi and Coke bottles.
We turned the corner and BAM! Pez dispensers. And more Pez dispensers. And even more Pez dispensers. Hollywood Candy has to have one of the largest collections of Pez dispensers in the universe!
They had sports Pez dispensers – Nebraska Cornhuskers topped the collection. There were Pez dispensers for LSU Tigers, Florida State, Penn State and Iowa. Baseball Pez dispensers for the Chicago White Sox were along the other sports teams.
Cartoon characters were there, also. A Disney collection of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were sitting on a shelf.
Darth Vader even got into the game. A Star Wars Pez dispenser set is available for viewing, but don’t think of buying it. It’s not for sale.
Moving on from the Pez dispensers, if you are looking for a nostalgic metal lunch box, I know where you can buy one. They had a full shelf of them. The Super Heroes are available to protect you at lunch time. ET can help you soar away from a bad lunch. The Pink Panther AND Son would like to join you for lunch. You can even pick up a plaid lunch box.
Do you still have a record player? Or, maybe an 8-track tape player? You can get some goods here. Old records are available – Paul Young, Dance Party or Tennessee Ernie Williams, among others.
With the New Year upon us, and people making resolutions, someone could pick up an aerobics album for help with exercising.
The area that intrigued me the most was the movie-themed items. 
Speakers from the old Golden Spike drive-in are for sale. They sit in the trunk of an old pink car, driven by Marilyn Monroe (or a mannequin resembling her). I saw my first “Planet of the Apes” movie there. My sister Edna and her husband took me to see it.
In addition, film reels are yours for the taking (for a small sum, of course).
Want to invite friends for your own movie screening? You can rent the theater inside the store for a couple of hours. Bring in a DVD and maybe up to about 50 people, and you have your own movie theater.
In the meantime, the store runs old movies and trailers.
After the movie or during your visit, check on the old-fashioned soda fountain. Maybe have a root beer float in a booth next to the wall of pens (not saying we did. Not saying we didn’t).
During our visit, I noticed the Terminator standing by the door. Turned out it was a mannequin. Whew! Good thing, cuz I have no idea where Sarah Connor is hiding these days.
Do you like banana and peanut butter sandwiches? Doesn’t matter, as the store doesn’t sell them. But, they do have the King available. A couple of Elvis mannequins are located inside Hollywood Candy.
As we left the store, I realized Hollywood Candy operators go above and beyond in presenting an experience, not just another store. Look up on the patio, and you’ll likely see geese flying in an upside down V formation.
As we went on our way, it occurred to me that you could see Hollywood Candy in your rear view mirror driving, too. An ambulance converted into a candy van?
For more information on Hollywood Candy, please visit www.hollywoodcandy.com.
