Sugar Planet now open in Rehoboth Beach

After nearly two years of renovations and delays, Sugar Planet is open in Rehoboth Beach.

“It’s a relief. That was the hard part. Once I get everything stocked, it’s going to be a breeze,” said Kit Gabby, store operator and partner.

Gabby is still in the process of unpacking product and stocking the shelves of the new store, but he said he had enough inventory to finally open the doors.

“This is more like a soft opening,” he said. “Letting people know we’re here.”

With a name like Sugar Planet, Rehoboth's newest candy shop offers a variety of sugar-filled sweets that don’t disappoint. Gabby said there are 10 tables that can hold 23 containers of candy, more than a dozen flavors of fudge, several types of jelly beans, taffy, gummies and more.

Gabby said there’s no minimum and no limit on the amount of candy a customer can buy.

“The other day I had a kid come in and ask for one ribbon. I said, ‘OK, that’ll be 26 cents,’” said Gabby.

In addition to candy, Sugar Planet will have more than a dozen flavors of ice cream available; also toys, souvenirs, mugs, shot glasses, key chains with names and other trinkets, said Gabby.

Sugar Planet is located in what was most recently Christmas Spirit, and the building bares almost no resemblance of what it used to look like. The down-to-the studs renovation work on the 5,000-square-foot building began in the spring of 2020. At the time, it was expected to be the new home of Loungin’ Lizzard. 

Now, there are sidewalk-to-ceiling windows fronting the street, bright white paint and a barrage of bright colors. 

At nighttime the place glows and there’s another row of track lighting that could be turned on, said Gabby.

Right now, Sugar Planet opens at 10 a.m., seven days a week, said Gabby. Closing hours are still a work in progress, but it’ll be 9 p.m. on the weekends and foot traffic will determine the closing hours during the week, he said.

During the summer months, the store will be open 9 a.m. to at least 10 p.m., Gabby said.

“If there’s a reason to be open after 10 p.m., that’s a good thing,” he said.

For now, for more information on Sugar Planet, 161 Rehoboth Ave., customers are going to have to ask in person. Gabby said a website and phone number are in the works.

“There was enough product to open and that’s what we wanted to do,” said Gabby.