ABOUT US
Campus Candy Yogurt Bar & Snacketeria is a corporately owned retail candy and yogurt store chain initially positioning itself on college campuses across the United States. The company was founded in 2010 when its first store opened in Bloomington, Indiana after co-founder, New York native, Mark Tarnofsky couldn’t find a candy bar anywhere but the local drug store while helping his daughter move-in to the dorms at Indiana University. Each Campus Candy store has a sleek, elliptical shaped interior with a modern, minimalistic design, café-style seating, and over 500 different varieties of candy lining the store walls! Campus Candy offers “the entire store [as] your toppings bar” for the fro-yo and boasts different flavors everyday! Campus Candy is often referred to as “the Willy Wonka of college students”, but with its bright colors, pop music, plasma TV’s, and free Wi-Fi the company creates a unique atmosphere unprecedented for a candy store and true to its mantra — “we ain’t just candy!
OUR STORY
While co-founder Mark Tarnofsky was moving his daughter Dani in for her freshman year at Indiana University, he experienced a sudden craving for a candybar. “Yo Dani, where can I get a candybar in this town?” the hip 45-year-old New York native asked. After his daughter recommended the local CVS or Walgreens, Mark went into a state of shock – “you mean there’s not a single candy store in this town?” She replied, “No dad. This isn’t New York.” And she was right. There wasn’t.
With his entrepreneurial spirit flowing, the lightbulb went on in Mark’s head on the plane ride back to New York City – his concept: to develop a one-of-a-kind 21st century candy store experience aimed predominately at the college campus and its surrounding local area. When he told his good friend of 25 years Jason Tynan about his revelation, Jason fell in love with the idea as well. Two months later, the first Campus Candy store opened at 518 E. Kirkwood in Bloomington, Indiana. The flagship store was the first of its kind – 500 different varieties candy, frozen yogurt, and the entire store as your toppings bar! The plasma TV’s, free wi-fi, and pop music created an environment never before seen in a candy store.
As the store became the talk of the campus, it achieved overnight success. Meanwhile, Mark and Jason set out to bring their concept across the country. A little over one year later, the company has opened up additional stores in Madison, Wisconsin, State College, Pennsylvania, and Tucson, Arizona with plans to open up its Austin, Texas location before the end of 2011.
