New candy shoppe brings ‘the Good’

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The location of a former historic souvenir shop on the corner of Oak Bluffs Avenue and Kennebec Avenue is now sporting a brand-new, bright yellow storefront. And beyond its newly constructed exterior lies an ambitious plan to open a new goodies shop. 

Owners of the new store, Emily Pires and Elena Hristu, have been friends and business partners for more than a decade, working as creative directors predominantly in fields of fashion and music in New York. 

Pires, who grew up and has family on the Vineyard, said that the idea of opening their own business on the Island started when her mother and father alerted her to the open space in April.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, but we said, ‘You know what, let’s go for it,’” she said.

Pires and Hristu then started brainstorming ideas on what to do with the space, taking into account the location next to the Flying Horses Carousel, and considering what the Island might be missing. 

“We want to have what families and people in this area want, but in a cool and elevated way,” Pires said.

This summer, they plan to open the Good Shoppe, a sweets shop offering a variety of candies sourced nationally and internationally, as well as soft-serve ice cream, specialty coffee, homemade Italian ice, and oversize cookies. The shop will be the first to offer a wide selection of homemade Italian ice sourced from Connecticut, as well as specialty Swedish candy and oversize cookies, called “the Good Cookie.”

Pires and Hristu described their vision for the shoppe as “nostalgic vintage Americana,” featuring island art and photography paying homage to the historic location of the shop.

“The smell of candy, good music, good treats, good vibes — we want people to be able to just look around and feel the good,” Hristu said.

Currently, the shop is getting set up and preparing for its intended opening in late July — an ambitious goal, as Pires and Hristu received access to the space only earlier this month.

“We’ve been working on it mentally for a while, but it’s go-mode now that we’re in the space,” Hristu said.

Pires and Hristu reflected on the Good Shoppe. “People refer to things as ‘the good.’ They’ll say ‘Oh, that’s the good salad, that’s where you get the good burger, or the good coffee,’” Pires said.

“We call ourselves the Good because we know we’re the Good,” Hristu said.