The National Confectionery Sales Association (NCSA) has selected Chicago as the permanent home of the Candy Hall of Fame Experience, a 60,000-square-foot, multi-level destination set to open in summer 2027 at 830 N. Michigan Ave. on the city’s Magnificent Mile.
Chicago was chosen over Orlando and New York City following a national evaluation. The city’s longstanding role in confectionery manufacturing, innovation and trade distinguished it in the selection process.
“For more than a century, Chicago has been home to some of the most iconic names in American candy, including Ferrara, Mars, Brach’s, Tootsie and Wrigley. Even Milton Hershey found his chocolate inspiration in Chicago at the 1893 World’s Fair,” said Shelly Clarey, chairman of the NCSA. “Establishing the Candy Hall of Fame Experience here reflects the city’s deep connection to the industry and creates a home to celebrate the people who helped build it.”
The attraction will bring together the history of the confectionery industry, the development of well-known candy brands and the innovators and entrepreneurs behind them. It is designed as a permanent public venue — not a trade-only installation.
To develop the experience, NCSA partnered with Jeff Rubin, a Candy Hall of Fame inductee and former founder and CEO of IT’SUGAR. Rubin has spent more than 35 years building confectionery retail concepts including FAO Schweetz and Dylan’s Candy Bar.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the support of the city of Chicago. Chicago is the obvious home for the Candy Hall of Fame. It’s the candy capital, full stop,” Rubin said. “Generations of companies built this industry here, and the stories behind those creations deserve to live where they began. This isn’t just a location choice; it’s a homecoming.”
Rubin has assembled a creative team that includes experience designer Janet T. Planet, whose work has supported brands such as Nestlé, Wonka, Disney and Marvel, and David Korins, a Broadway set designer known for productions including Hamilton and Beetlejuice. Korins will serve as creative director.
“Candy carries joy across generations,” said Planet, chief wondermaker for the Candy Hall of Fame Experience. “Our goal is to give that joy a place — one that celebrates imagination, invention and the shared delight people feel when they encounter something sweet.”
For grocery retailers and confectionery suppliers, the venue represents a new consumer touchpoint for the candy category — one that could elevate brand awareness and drive cultural relevance for heritage confectionery names that have been part of grocery sets for decades.
The Candy Hall of Fame was founded in 1971 and recognizes lifetime career achievements in the confectionery industry. The NCSA, formed in 1899, administers the Hall of Fame along with the Kettle Awards and the IMPACT Award. Additional details on the experience are expected as the project progresses.