Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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DESERT PATROL How does she run a company called Sugar Factory and stay so slim? Charissa Davidovici isn't telling. After taking the Strip by storm with four thriving retail stores that sell a vast assortment of candy, gifts, and clothing (including one in Paris Las Vegas attached to a trendy restaurant and bar), Davidovici has gone global, with outlets in Manhattan and Bahrain and others newly opened in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. At press time, the Vegas stores alone had already earned $28 million this year. And the shop in Manhattan's stylish Meatpacking District? It recently had a two-hour waiting list to get in. "I'm keeping busy!" says Davidovici, 36. That's an understatement. While managing her growing candy empire, she is also parenting two children—Brooklynn, 7, and Gracie, 3—who happen to be the inspiration behind The last great her signature product, the Couture Pop. The restaurant I went lollipop, starting at $22, has a glittery hanto: "I loved Jaleo dle that can hold interchangeable pops. It in Cosmopolitan." even has a cover so you can stash it away In Vegas I love and finish it later. to: "Coming from cold Chicago, I "As a mom, I wanted something sparkly like doing as for my girls," she says with a laugh. "They much hiking in love everything girly and pink, so I thought Vegas as you can it would be something nice for mothers and do with a 3-yeardaughters or best friends to exchange as old." gifts." It was an instant hit—with the help of celebrity fans like Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, and Drake, some of the many boldfaced names who have lent Sugar Factory much exposure. "We are not just a candy store, but that is our signature item," Davidovici says. "We also wanted to show that this was a place for everyone, not just kids. Everyone loves candy, and it makes everyone happy." Davidovici's bond with children is evident, beyond the sweets and celebrities. She earned a degree in early childhood education and parlayed her love of baking SUGAR FACTORY FOUNDER CHARISSA DAVIDOVICI HITS THE and making over-the-top birthday cakes for her own SWEET SPOT AS HER FAMED CONFECTIONERY BOUTIQUE kids into a business. One of the many ways she now GOES GLOBAL. BY LISA ARCELLA gives back to our Vegas community is the annual Halloween party she throws at Sugar Factory's Miracle Mile Shops location. "We work with the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation," she says. harissa Davidovici has returned to her native Chicago for a visit, but instead of seeing relatives or reconnecting with old high-school "The kids come in costume and we give them a bag. They walk through friends, she's busy looking at empty retail spaces in the city's most the store and get handfuls of candy. We get about 400 to 500 kids coming through, and different celebrities, like Holly Madison, have come by to fashionable locations. The UNLV grad with a sweet tooth does that a lot these days, as she con- take pictures with the kids. I want to bring the same idea to all of our tinues to expand her four-year-old Vegas-born concept, Sugar Factory. stores." sugarfactory.com V INSIGHT C 56 PHOTOGRAPHY BY SQUARESHOOTING.COM Trick or Treat VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 056_V_SP_DP_CharisaD_Oct13.indd 56 9/17/13 4:53 PM