Big Top Candy Shop — Attraction in Austin

You there! Looking for unique and delicious old-fashioned candies? Then step right up into the Big Top Candy Shop.

I love candy, and I love this store. To begin with, the interior is beautifully themed with steam punk and vintage carnival décor. The employees wear theme appropriate uniforms; each time I visit, cashiers wearing either tiny vests and fez hats or red and white striped outfits ring up my purchases using a vintage antique looking register. Posters of circus freaks and advertisements smatter the walls, enhancing the theme and make me feel like I am actually under a big top. Lingering throughout is also an overwhelming, joyous smell of sugar. However, the most noticeable thing is the kaleidoscopic candies that cram the store.

The selection is unbeatable. Gummies! Chocolates! Taffies! Fudge! In the front of the store are giant wooden barrels of chews of all types from individually wrapped Now and Laters to salt-water taffies sold by the pound. Alongside the walls are shelves filled with candies you thought were extinct, foreign candies and flavors of candies you didn’t even know exist. There are novelty wrapped candies near the register, and in the back are more candy bins filled with gummy tape, gummy shoestrings, jawbreakers, gumballs and lots more. There’s a wall of Wonka Candy, racks of rock candy and even a cigarette vending machine that dispenses candy cigarette sticks. If you want chocolate, there is a wide assortment of artisan chocolates alongside fresh fudge sold behind a counter. There’s also a bevy of familiar and not so familiar candy bars strewn throughout the store. Basically, Big Top has anything a candy lover could ever want!

In addition to candy, there is also soda fountain were you can purchase snow cones, shakes, ice cream and Italian sodas. I’ve had a super delicious strawberry shake before made with Blue Bell ice cream and contained real chunks of strawberries. Just thinking about it is making me drool.

For candies that you can’t find anywhere else, Big Top is a great store. However, if you are just looking for common candies that can be found at the gas station, I would pass. For instance, boxes of Nerds, which are available at HEB for 2/88 cents, are available at Big Top for around $1.50, so I would recommend only purchasing rare finds at Big Top, otherwise you’ll be paying significantly more for items you can...

Being kicked out of the store after sitting at the stools with my dog for 10min because Georgina is on a power trip is Absolutely unacceptable.

I brought my family in from out of state on their last day. Yes I had my dog while walking on south congress. We go inside and I see the no pets sign. My dog is not a pet and does not identify as such. We were waiting peacefully at the 3 stools at the front in the cool air as my family was shopping around. My dog sat and laid peacefully on the ground and was not causing a disturbance or fuss. After already being there for 10min Georgina demanded we go outside in the 95 degree weather without even offering so much as a water glass after talking over me because she did not care what I had to say. While I understand “company policy” and respected her wishes as I walk outside the customers in the store including my family heard her say out loud “well maybe you shouldn’t bring your dog in public”

If this is the example of how you train your employees to talk and interact with human beings I sincerely hope she doesn’t treat anyone else with such disrespect and disgust. I had asked to speak with a manager and was informed by Georgina that she was the shift lead at that time.

While I do not want to think she was discriminating against me, it’s hard to say she was not. Because again, we were sitting in the store for quite some time with no distraction or craziness before she told us to leave.

My wish is not for her to be fired but learn from her mistakes. As well as respecting people and their animals. To tell someone they shouldn’t have brought their dog with them to a city that is very pet friendly is very concerning and makes not only myself but my animal as well not feel safe in that environment.

I hope the business and the employee learn from this. Great candy but terrible customer interaction. Unfortunately I will no longer be giving Big Top...

DISRESPECTFUL STAFF RUINED EXPERIENCE

I visited this small candy shop excited to support a local business and treat myself to some sweets. After purchasing a few items and sitting near the bar area to enjoy them, I politely asked a staff member (a woman) if they had a restroom available for customers. To my surprise, she responded rudely and dismissively, saying something along the lines of, “You just come in my store and ask to use the restroom?”—as if I hadn't just spent money there moments before. It was incredibly off-putting and unnecessary. Another (male) employee then stepped in and said I could use the restroom, but by that point, I already felt unwelcome and uncomfortable, so I decided to leave. As I expressed that I was a paying customer - not that it should even matter - and felt disrespected, the female employee raised her hands at me and told me to “calm down,” instead of apologizing which only added to the frustration. I wasn’t being loud or aggressive. I was just hurt and confused. And now I’m walking out of a place I was excited to visit, fighting back tears because I felt completely dismissed and devalued. This entire interaction completely ruined what was supposed to be a lighthearted visit. I truly wanted to enjoy and support this local spot, but the way I was treated made that impossible. Customer service matters, and this was an unacceptable way to treat anyone, let alone someone supporting your business. I’m honestly still shaken by what happened at this small candy shop. I came in with good intentions. No one should be made to feel that way — especially not when they’re supporting your business. I left without even being able to enjoy what I bought. The entire encounter ruined what was supposed to be a simple, happy moment.

I definitely won’t...