How sweet it is
by Sally Applegate/correspondent
Source: North Andover Citizen
February 02, 2007

Cheri and Neil Gillen show off a tray of whimsical candy sushi topped with gummy fish at Cheri's new North Andover sweet shop — Ricky's Candy, Cones and Chaos. (Sally Applegate)

From the moment you spot the transparent tube door handles filled with hard candy you know you’re about to enter someplace happy. The lime green walls and purple floors welcome families into a spacious, friendly store bursting with every kind of candy one can imagine, and batches of homemade ice cream.

Conveniently placed in the Eaglewood Shopping Center at 97 Turnpike St., Ricky’s Candy, Cones and Chaos in North Andover should ease the pain of losing the beloved Treadwell’s Ice Cream this year.

“We opened the same weekend Treadwell’s closed,” says Cheri Gillen, who owns the new store, assisted by her husband and “silent partner” Neil Gillen. She calls the store “my baby.”

The couple radiates happiness and humor, much of which they attribute to the cheery nature of their store, which is the most northern store in a national franchise of candy and ice cream stores in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

“You can have a tough day and come in here, and you can’t help being happy,” says Neil, whose day job is working as Global Logistics Manager for Axcelis Technology in Beverly. “Adults say this place reminds them of their childhood.”

“That’s why the store fits us,” says Cheri. “We have fun. [You should see] the look on people’s faces when they come in the door — not only the children but the adults.”

Cheri started the business because after teaching preschool and working in medical billing for years, she wanted something new to do after her children grew up. The couple has three sons. Nathan, 26, is a weather forecaster at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica and his wife Jeni is in the air force. The couple presented the Gillens with their first grandchild, Madison, who is now three.

Son Justin, 24, does construction work, son Brian is 23, and son Steven, 19, is a history major at Northern Essex Community College, and works at the store as its chief ice cream maker.

Making the ice cream in small batches every other day, Steven comes up with mouthwatering and perfectly textured fresh-tasting ice creams like cappuccino chip, children’s favorite cotton candy, Mounds, and cake batter ice cream, in addition to creamy favorites like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

“Cake batter is our own secret recipe, with a little help from Duncan Hines,” says Neil.

Children make their own sundaes at the Chaos Toppings Center, featuring heated chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel, and cold pineapple, strawberry, pineapple, cherries, nuts and whipped cream. There are many toppings, including crushed peppermint, jimmies, marshmallows, Oreos, Heath Bar, mini Reese’s Pieces, gummy bears, Wonka Nerds and chocolate kisses.

A large window opens onto the kitchen where, on ice cream making days, customers can watch the ice cream being made at the store.

Every candy you can think of is somewhere in this comprehensive store, fancy boxed chocolates from Ghiradelli, Perugina, Lindt, and Toblerone to the popular candy bars you find in supermarkets or the hard-to-find old fashioned chocolates like the seldom seen Chunkies. . There are chocolate graham crackers and chocolate pretzels.

Frozen bananas are in one display case, and the store offers a variety of candy sushi, featuring an aquarium’s worth of gummy fish toppings.

Each wall has a long row of candy dispensers in various categories, including a gummy candy center, a sours center, and a pucker powder area where children can create their own edible candy art in a long plastic tube. There’s a lollipop tree and a Willy Wonka section and an old-fashioned candy section. There is gum, and there are mints, and there are far too many choices, both with and without sugar, to list here.

The fun-loving couple sits in their large party room, which opens onto the main store with a sliding glass door. Parents and children keep coming in, with kids filling their own candy bags from the long row of candy dispensers while cheery children’s music plays through speakers.

Paige Gillette of Andover is only three years old, but she has no trouble using the dispensers to get just the candy she wants, probably because the daughter of Dan and Dawn Gillette gets a lot of practice.

“”She just loves this place,” says her dad Dan. “We bring her here too, too often.”

Two little girls are going very slowly down the row of candy dispensers, stopping now and then for serious conferences on candy choices.

Barbara Mokler of Andover has brought her eight-year-old son Brendan in for ice cream, and she is also enjoying a visit with her friend Sara Serisky of Melrose, who is here with her sons Nathaniel, 8, and Bennett, 2.

“I think they should make everything in here edible,” says Nathaniel. “I love it. I wish I could have my birthday party here.”

Sara and Barbara got to know each other because Brendan and Nathaniel are in the same religious study group. Now Ricky’s is a regular stop for the two families.

“I wish they served coffee,” says Sara as the children play hide and seek, and their mothers enjoy a long talk sitting on ice cream cone chairs at one of the circular tables with Ricky the Dinosaur looking up at them.

Employees Tamara Brennan of North Andover and Jose DelValle of Lawrence smile at the customers and keep the place running.

The store is designed with a lot of open space for children to walk around in, despite having every imaginable kind of candy. It’s a relaxing atmosphere, with Ricky, the large green dinosaur, perching on top of a display case of little green Ricky toys.

The Gillens host baby showers, wedding showers and birthday parties in the store’s large party room. Surprisingly, they also host business meetings for companies seeking a change of pace. For a business conference they can project spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations onto a large screen. For birthdays, they can project DVDs of movies onto the screen.

Merrimack College Math Club members are considering a visit to study probabilities – how much candy is likely to be in that container? North Andover High School students recently filmed a video in the store for a class project.

“People can make their own customized gift baskets and party favors in here, and we have last-minute gifts for parties,” says Neil.

Think you can eat 32 ounces of ice cream in less than 10 minutes? Try the Belly Buster Challenge, and if you win you get your choice of a $12 gift certificate or a T-shirt, and your photo will be posted on the Belly Buster Wall of Fame.

“He came in on a Sunday and did it in four minutes, then came back on Monday and did it in three minutes,” laughs Cheri.

This delightful store is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Parties and events can be booked by phoning the store at 978-688-6811 or contacting them online at rickysofnandover@aol.com.

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