Vikki's Sweet Shoppe Grand Opening Friday

DAYTON–If you've got a sweet tooth, Vikki's Sweet Shoppe is just the place for you.

Our Fair City's latest new Main Street business will hold its Grand Opening, complete with a Dayton Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony, on Friday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m. at the 217 E. Main Street store front. To celebrate, owner Vikki Griffin has plans to give away cupcakes, and, to the first 50 children that visit, a free small plush Coca-Cola Polar Bear. There will also be a raffle for a giant-sized Coca-Cola Polar Bear.

Want a milk shake? No problem. Vikki can make floats, offers a "Bulldog Smoothie," and offers a large selection of premium soda pop. Like the famous Jones Sodas, Henry Weinhard's root beer, orange or cream sodas, or Dad's Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, Route 66 soda pop and Crush in orange (natch!) or grape.

Ya wanna sarsaparilla? There's a few bottles of that. Bawls guarana in several flavors and, for the distinctly unique taste buds, Chocolate Soda, or Bacon Soda, or Bacon Soda with Maple Syrup, or John Wayne Root Beer, or Babe Ruth Cola.

"Dirty" sodas are one of Vikki's specialties. A dirty Coke has coconut flavor and Half & Half.

"I named the 'Laverne' from ['70s sitcom] Laverne & Shirley," Vikki quips. A Laverne is Pepsi and milk mixed together and it is apparently quite tasty.

She has 10 Dirty Sodas on the menu ranging from the Raspberry Dream (Dr. Pepper, coconut and raspberry puree), to the Happy Camper, which is root beer with toasted marshmallow and vanilla. Not one of the dirty sodas sound like anything but delightful.

Want coffee? You'll have to look elsewhere. "The only coffee drink I have is a coffee milkshake," Griffin laughs.

In the candy shelves are just about everything "candy" that's on the market. Snickers, Milky Way, Sugar Babies and more. Bins of penny candy (which are not being sold for 1¢, by the way) line the island between the counter and the shelves.

For the nostalgia buff, remember Clove gum? Or Beeman's gum? Vikki has boxes of bubble-gum cigars in the event you're a brand-new father and want to pass around congratulatory cigars in a smoke-free environment.

You'd have to have very eclectic tastes to leave Vikki's without finding something you'd like.

Griffin's dream to own and operate a candy store has been stirring for over 30 years. "Our family would go camping and visit tourist towns," she recalled, "and they always seemed to have a candy shop. I've always thought that I'd love to someday own my own candy store."

She learned that Alicia Walker was moving her restaurant, Locally Nourished, up the street several doors, so she put her plan into action.

Vikki and husband Jason have purchased the building next door, the former Frontier Too Tavern which has been the object of renovation efforts by Kim Lyonnais and Blaine Bickelhaupt over the last year or so. The couple plan to divide the main floor down the middle and put the candy shop on one side and open a laundromat on the other, fulfilling a much-needed service for Dayton residents.

"The response has been very positive from everyone," Vikki said. "They're excited and we're excited to be here."