A Red Deer gas station's sweet secret to success

CBC Edmonton and CBC Calgary have teamed up to launch a pop-up Red Deer bureau to help us tell your stories from central Alberta with reporter Heather Marcoux bringing you the news from Red Deer and the surrounding area. Story ideas and tips can be sent to heather.marcoux@cbc.ca.

Along Gasoline Alley in Red Deer County there are plenty of gas stations to choose from, and that's why one is trying something new to attract highway travellers and Red Deer residents.

At the Sweet Market Esso, you can fill up your tank, use the restroom and get your candy fix.

The interior of the gas station looks like a kid's dream come true. Every candy you can think of, plus rarer Halal treats and chocolates made in Alberta, have made Sweet Market not just a gas station, but a destination. 

"This is kind of the prototype station," said store manager Tim Anderson. "The candy store wasn't supposed to be the attraction, it was supposed to be the bathrooms." 

Their washroom is a finalist in the 2021 Canada's Best Restroom Contest, up against Borden Park in Edmonton, The Rooftop restaurant in Calgary, a city park in Surrey, and new facilities at the Toronto Zoo. 

Anderson said he's happy to see Sweet Market recognized for the sparkling-clean facilities created by owner Glenn Hommy, but that's not all that's drawing families to the Alberta-owned service station. 

Elma Pezderic and her family were making the five-and-a-half-hour drive from Edmonton to Medicine Hat when they pulled into Sweet Market for a washroom break. 

"It's awesome," she said, exiting the high-end, automated and frequently-sanitized bathroom. "We're just really impressed with the convenience." 

Seven-year-old Violet was more impressed with the candy selection than the washroom. 

"I want to buy the whole store," she said. 

According to Anderson, that's a pretty typical reaction from kids that come into the candy-themed attraction, where they can press a button to send a toy train around the perimeter of the store while they choose their goodies. 

The Sweet Market Esso opened in December 2018, and saw slow and steady growth, said Anderson. But the pandemic saw more visitors coming for the hands-free, sparking washroom and staying for the candy. 

"It's kind of taken off this year," said Anderson, who is throwing a late grand opening party on July 31 to celebrate how his staff was able to pivot during the pandemic.

Before COVID hit, much of the candy was sold in a bulk bin system, where customers could choose their own candy with a scoop and purchase it by weight.

Wanting to avoid unnecessary touching, Anderson switched to selling pre-packaged candy cups, which minimize touch points and have the added benefit of moderating portion sizes for children who would "buy the whole store" if they could scoop their own, he said. 

"It started out as a COVID precaution, but turned out to be more successful than before," said Anderson. 

Anderson said the store plans to keep innovating, because standing out as a gas station on a stretch of highway full of them requires imagination ... and a lot of candy.