Out of this World
Remember the good ol’ days when you could skip down to the corner dimestore to buy a bottle of pop for only a couple coins? Chances are no; you weren’t alive during the 50’s.
Though prices have definitely risen, you can now experience the joys of a nostalgic soda pop shop by taking a trip to downtown Palo Alto’s newest old fashion candy store: Rocket Fizz Pop & Candy Store.
Nestled in the middle of bustling University Avenue, Rocket Fizz is a chain soda and candy store, reminiscent of a old-fashioned nickel and dime store from the ‘50s.
“All of the stores are individually owned and operated, but it is a chain,” the Director of Operations, Ophny Escalante said. “There are two that we own, one in Cambell, California and there are probably close to or a little over 30 of them [different Rocket Fizz locations.]”
With barrels of taffy on one side, vintage posters and cheap knick-knacks adorning the other,
Rocket Fizz provides a blast from the past.
“People come in here and reminisce,” Escalante said. “We stock a lot of retro candy that hasn’t been available for years.It’s a trip down memory lane; it’s a lot of nostalgia and [it] just take[s] you back to a time in your childhood you may not have remembered for a long time.”
Hundreds of glass bottles of every soda imaginable line the shelves, from peanut butter to ginger ale, and the displays are piled high with both foreign and familiar candies.
“This is a very international community and people come in and it reminds them of being overseas, so [people want] to buy [the foreign candies] in bulk,” Escalante said. “People come in looking for very specific things.”
A wide array of cultures are represented in Rocket Fizz.
They have candies and chocloates ranging from Asia and Australia to Britain and Brazil lining the shelves.
Rocket Fizz fits perfectly into a much missed role in Palo Alto, which hasn’t had a candy and soda bar since Kiki’s Candy Bar closed almost a decade ago.
With its extensive selection of sodas and candy, one hardly needs motivation to return to Rocket Fizz, but they include incentives anyway. They reward returning customers with a punchcard—for every eight drinks one buys, Rocket Fizz gives out a free soda.
By Eric Wang, Matt Morton and Perri Pond
Since the Palo Alto store’s opening, Rocket Fizz was ben widely received by the Palo Alto community, from all locks of ages.
“The response has been remarkable, people come in here like I said and looks around and eventually end up buying something they have not seen in twenty years,” Escalante said.
“People come in looking for very specific things, like sodas that aren’t available [nowadays,]” Escalante said. “
Even they just opened up Rocket Fizz is already showing they care want to suport the Palo Alto community.
For Valentines Day Rocket Fizz worked with the Palo Alto High School’s Associate Student Body (ASB) on the fundraiser. Escalante was a former vice principal of a high school and one the most successful fundraisers he was a part of was Valentines Day “Crushgrams.”
“The Cush Soda is really hard to get, so it was a one time deal, but what it is [say] you want to send someone a secret message that you have a crush on,” Escalante said. “So you buy a soda and you send them a [crushgram.]”
Rocket Fizz provided the Crush Soda for Paly this year and hopes to have the opportunity to work with Paly and other schools to do similar activities in the future.
Looking into the future, Rocket Fizz hopes to expanding and satisfying everyone’s sweet tooth.
“One thing we are looking at doing eventually, [even though] this store is a little bit small, is putting in a soda bar,” Escalante said. “So [teenagers] can come in and hang out and taste different sodas so [Rocket Fizz] can become more of a hang out [place].”
So who knows, maybe that slice of Americana youth culture will be returning to Palo Alto community sometime soon.
But for now we can just pretend to be back in the ‘50s walking with our varsity letterman jackets and poodle skirts while drinking one of those ever-so-sweet bottled Coca Cola’s—all with the help of Rocket Fizz Pop & Candy Store.
Candies from decades ago can be re-found to reminisce the past.
Not only does Rocket Fizz offer candy, they offer a wider variety of bottles sodas.
Barrels of taffy line the back wall of Rocket Fizz.
Candies from decades ago can be re-found to reminisce the past.
