On a busy stretch of Rivington Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Economy Candy continues to do something increasingly rare in New York City retail. It has survived and thrived. Founded in 1937, the narrow shop packed wall to wall with sweets has survived economic downturns, neighborhood upheaval and soaring rents, remaining a constant in a part of the city defined by constant change.
Economy Candy began during the Great Depression, when Morris Moishe Cohen and his brother ran a shoe repair shop and candy stand on the Lower East Side. Candy sales soon outpaced shoe repairs, and the brothers leaned into what customers wanted most. The store grew from a simple stand into a permanent shop that offered affordable treats at a time when small pleasures mattered deeply. Over the decades, as other candy shops disappeared, Economy Candy stayed put.
Today the store at 108 Rivington Street is operated by third generation owners Mitchell Cohen and his wife Skye. Mitchell left a career in finance to help run the family business, bringing a modern approach to a deeply traditional shop. Under their leadership, Economy Candy has expanded its offerings to more than two thousand varieties, including hard to find vintage American brands and imported sweets from around the world.
Remaining in the Lower East Side has not been easy. Gentrification has transformed the neighborhood, replacing many longtime businesses with luxury housing and national retailers. Rising rents have forced countless independent shops to close or relocate. Economy Candy has managed to stay by owning its building, a crucial advantage that has insulated it from volatile commercial rent increases that have reshaped the area.
The business has also adapted in other ways. In recent years Economy Candy embraced online sales, social media marketing and nationwide shipping. Candy care packages, merchandise and viral social posts have helped turn a neighborhood institution into a brand recognized far beyond New York City. That digital presence proved essential during the pandemic, when the store endured an extended closure but emerged with stronger online sales than before.
In 2023 the city formally recognized the store’s legacy by co-naming the corner of Rivington and Essex Streets as Morris Moishe Cohen Way, honoring the founder and the shop’s place in neighborhood history. Economy Candy has also expanded physically for the first time, opening A Taste of Economy Candy inside Chelsea Market, introducing its nostalgic offerings to a new audience.
Nearly ninety years after it opened, Economy Candy remains more than a store. It is a reminder that survival in New York City often depends on adaptation, family commitment and planning. In a neighborhood defined by reinvention, Economy Candy continues to prove that history still has a place on the Lower East Side.
