By Lisa Morgan –
Picture yourself busting your posterior at a corporate job in national retail chains for 25 years, 12 of which you worked without a single pay raise, dealing with spread sheets and numbers and “corporate crap”, basically not having much fun at all. What do you do? Well if you’re Brian Williamson, you open up Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop, a nostalgic candy shop located in the center of Palm Desert’s Westfield shopping where the atmosphere is consistently cheerful, colorful and “Sweet!”
“Sweet!” This is a comment Brian reads consistently on the lips of those walking up to his shop with wide eyed wonder. You can’t miss it. It is an explosion of color and sweet aromas on the mall’s lower level that reach out and hug you, magically drawing you inside. Once there, you’ll find hundreds of items that are sure to bring a rush of the childhood memories of sheer joy, when being in possession of one of these treats was the highlight of your day. Finally, now, you have a larger allowance to shop with! This store, “bright, sunny and shiny” makes Brian Williamson’s days much more fun with the chances of a raise in the near future looking very good.
Have you, like me, been looking all over for a Big Hunk? Believe it or not, my friends, Rocket Fizz has them ~ well the candy bars at least! But like all good things, you have to be quick to grab up these fine products as some of them go quite quickly. One such item is Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer. This 75 year old family owned staple of soda pop is made in small batches and is usually sold out within a couple of weeks of its delivery. The same goes for their cinnamon toothpicks, Slo Pokes, Sky Bars, Abba Zabba’s and Nik-L-Nips. My suggestion is to make frequent stops into the store to check out their huge reservoir of flavorful fun. Chances are you will find something new every time you visit. All of these products have a history and a story behind them. Brian and his well versed staff are more than happy to share these stories, but there are also plaques placed throughout providing a great read as you browse the vast inventory. This is the perfect place to find unique and thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts!
According to the franchise website, the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops, LLC was founded several years ago by Robert (Rob) Powells and Ryan Morgan. The one company owned store known as the original “flagship” store is located in Camarillo, California. All of the other Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops are independently owned and operated and are licensed or franchised locations. As the creators and co-owners of the entire Rocket Fizz system, Rob and Ryan carefully select each Rocket Fizz retail store operator, which should be a good indicator about our local Rocket Fizz owner’s qualifications and character.
Owner Brian Williamson says he chose the franchise because he himself enjoyed going into the store. “We have items you can’t get at the big box stores. Everybody grew up with a candy store, whether it was in the mountains, at the beach or in the desert. We want to bring back the memories of that favorite childhood place.” Brian and his staff have been providing this wonderful experience since they opened their doors November 8, 2012. They had originally planned on opening up the store in downtown Palm Springs. But on August 28th (yes, Brian recalls the exact date) Brian and his sons found themselves having to park on the second level of Macy’s when they visited the mall. When they walked into the mall, his sons asked why it was so busy here in the middle of the summer. Brian’s reply was, “Dude, it is 78 degrees here every day!” With the built in clientele of the mall including employees from other nearby businesses and a fair and friendly deal worked out by the Westfield mall management, Brian was able to launch his Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop with huge initial success.
Visit the store at The Westfield Shopping Mall 72840 Highway 111, Suite F196, Palm Desert, CA. You can follow them on Facebook at Rocket Fizz Palm Desert or the general website rocketfizz.com. You can also give them a call at (760) 568-9111.
