Raffy's Candy Store opens second New Lenox location

Dave and Pam Rafalski felt it might be risky to open a second Raffy's Candy Store in New Lenox, but would rather not live with any regrets. But all the positive feedback has them confident that it's all going to work out.

The new shop, located at 832 Laraway Road, opened its doors on Thursday. It will only sell candy, not ice cream, like it does at its other two locations.

"It's a relief (we opened this spot)," Dave said. "The support we've got keeps going on and on. The feedback has been blowing up with people saying 'I can't wait.' Everything has been positive so far."

Having a second location allows Raffy's to accommodate both sides of town. Its first location is on the far northeast side of town and its new spot is on the far southwest side.

"I hope it's going to be wonderful," Pam said. "I had some people asking questions when we were going to open and they said they couldn't wait until school was out (for the day)."

They're not sure if it's going to take away business from the other store, but they are excited for the extra piece to their journey of living out Dave's dream.

Dave laughed and said Pam is buying into his dream and she retorted by saying she is running it. Dave agreed and noted how much she has done to get this spot open.

The shop is located in the strip that houses Dunkin Donuts, Gina's Teardrop Cafe, Pizza Mia and more.

Dave and Pam said they have been welcomed with open arms by the other business owners and feel they will all complement each other well.

And they weren't even looking to open a new location in New Lenox. The landlord and other business owners came to them to see if they'd be interested.

"The challenge will be not having ice cream," Dave said. "Did ice cream help our sales over there or was it the candy? We'll figure it out. If not, we at least took a shot, but I have faith in the community."

The Rafalski family is also excited about the location because of its proximity to neighborhoods and the Nelson Campus down the street.

"It's nice because kids can walk here," Pam said. "They can walk to the other one, but there are so many that can ride their bike here and not have to worry about crossing Route 30."

Raffy's Candy Store will be having an official ribbon cutting with the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

"It's crazy how things work out," Dave said. "It's all about the experience. We want people to come in for that smile relief...Making people happy during this pandemic is a great thing."