I grew up in a grocery store, surrounded by candy bars, bubble gum, and soft drinks. I had access to every sweet treat within reach. In fact, from about age 10, I was often “in charge,” while my parents were attending to duties away from the checkout counter. The fact I have any teeth at all today, is a credit to fluoride, dentistry, and orthodontics. In other words, it’s a miracle.
One of my closing-time jobs was to restock the soft-drink cooler, filling it each evening with an assortment of bottled and canned sodas. I liked to mix ’em up, creating a colorful array of bottle caps. Decisions, decisions…what will it be? Nu-Grape looks good. But then there’s Frostie Root Beer. Oh, I’ll just have an RC.
Many decades later, I’m married, with two adult sons, and a steady job. I have grown-up responsibilities. Still, that kid in a candy store lives inside me. Maybe that’s why I felt like I’d entered a Christmas village when I found the new Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop opened in downtown Chattanooga (411 Broad Street).
I rarely go downtown any more, parking is never easy, and rarely economical. With all due respect to bicyclists, the new bike lanes have made it even harder. What was once merely an adventure is now a costly, time-consuming chore. This store had been open for a couple of months before I even knew it existed. I found about it on Facebook, which is the word-of-mouth, free advertising go-to of this era.
I made my first visit on a recent rain-soaked Sunday afternoon. After circling Broad Street a few times, I wedged my Toyota in some sort-of vacant space, probably an illegal one, and sloshed into the store. It was overwhelming. I’d never seen so many different varieties of candy in one place. I halfway expected Sammy Davis Jr. to burst through the doors and start singing about “sweet chocolate, chocolate malted candy, gum drops, anything you want.”
There were rows and rows of sodas I remembered from long ago that are no longer carried in regular stores, plus dozens of others I’d never seen before. Root beers I’d only read about. Soda flavors I couldn’t wait to try (cotton candy, peach pie, and sweet corn), and others intended for people far more adventurous than me (ranch dressing, cucumber, and peanut butter).
Remember those orange sherbet push-ups? Stewart’s makes an orange creme soda that’s quite good. But Rocket Fizz carries Virgil’s brand, which is even better. I like cherry cola, and the mainstream brands seem to downplay the cherry flavor. Rocket Fizz has sodas that put the cherry front and center!
Of course they also carry the familiar brands, including my current favorite: plain old Coca-Cola, bottled in Mexico with real cane sugar. That too, has become available in many stores recently.
But where else are you going to find booger-flavored jelly beans, every flavor of saltwater taffy imaginable, and bacon-flavored everything.
Throw in lots of memorabilia (Monkees! Wonder Woman! Lucy!), magic tricks, squirrel underpants, and other wacky stocking stuffers. If you like those classic candies you see in Cracker Barrel, multiply that times ten. I heard the phrase, “I didn’t know they still made that!” over and over.
We’ve all had Whoppers and Kit Kats, but did you know about all their various flavors? When’s the last time you enjoyed Coconut Slice, bubble-gum cigars, wax lips or candy cigarettes?
In the spirit of full disclosure, this is not a bargain-priced store. These are not everyday, high-volume brands, so you’ll pay a little extra. A bottle of soda is around two bucks, but it’s cheaper if you buy a handful, like 6 or 8. After all, it’s hard to leave without taking a chance on at least a few flavors. So far, of those I chose, there’s only been one dud: the Fudge & Cookie Dough soda tasted like…well, not so good. I erased the after-taste with a delicious Nehi Peach, which I didn’t even know existed. Mission accomplished!
So next time you’re downtown, this is a fun stop. Yes, you’ll have to dodge the new curbs, and try to make sense of the new parking set-up. You might even see someone actually riding a bike in the bike lane. (I didn’t, during my two hour-long visits this week. I did see a lot of angry motorists and business owners, though.)
But after one sip of Havana Banana soda, you’ll realize it was well worth the trip.
Visit the Chattanooga Rocket Fizz Facebook page here.
Oh, I was just there after church today! After tripping and falling off a curb a block away, I ducked into this incredible candy & soda store to lick my wounds. That place is amazing.