As we get older, it seems as though Halloween is all about the parties, and the craziness  of the college festivities that surround the holiday.

People seem to forget their childhoods and the reasons why Halloween made us all plan out our costumes almost a year in advance and count down the days until we could run around knocking on strangers’ doors. The answer is, pure and simple, the candy.

The American Halloween tradition revolves around trick-or-treating for candy. But now that we college students are no longer children and it is less acceptable to trick-or-treat, it is important that we continue (because we can) the non-age-discriminatory Halloween ritual of indulging ourselves in the sugary and chocolaty goodness that is excessive candy consumption.

Nestled in the heart of downtown Northampton is Sweeties Fine Chocolate & Confections, which has served up sweets at their location on 68 Main Street for more than 30 years.

Upon opening the doors to the shop, customers are greeted by the sweet and sugary scents of the colorful rows and walls covered with every type of candy imaginable. This candy shop captures the essence of an old-time local candy store, with all of the variety and unconventional candies that the average store lacks.

Many of the types of candy sold at Sweeties are difficult to find anywhere else.

Some of the candies that they carry are unusual, but still somewhat familiar. They sell the “smooth n’ melty” assorted nonpareil  mints, which are little pink, green and yellow mint flavored white chocolate chips, and near golf ball-sized malted balls, along with many other “blasts from the past.”

They also have a large selection of various gummy candies, for gummy-lovers. One of their most interesting gummy candies are their cola gummies, which are cola-flavored, and shaped like mini soda bottles.

But by far, Sweeties most popular candies are chocolate covered gummy bears and sea salt caramels. The store also sells “gross-flavored jellybeans,” with flavors such as “baby wipes” and “rotten egg,” which are perfect for any gruesome Halloween-themed party.

For the Halloween season, Sweeties carries various fall and Halloween-themed candies, such as dark chocolate nonpareils decorated with orange, yellow and white sprinkles. But on Halloween Day, Sweeties will team up with a few other stores  in the downtown Northampton area to participate in a “trick-or-treating event” where they will give out candy to all who stop by.

But beware: one step into Sweeties and you will be so tempted to indulge yourself with their great selection of candy that you most likely will not leave empty-handed.

The store can be defined not only by their quality, but also by their quantity. You can simply walk in, grab a small bag and fill it up with however much and whatever variety candy you want. The price is $9.56 per pound, which is pretty reasonable. A bag filled with just enough candy for one person will not weigh more than a few ounces.

With this system, the customer can avoid having to buy a whole bag of one type of candy and being forced to deal with that lack of diversity. At Sweeties, the choice is up to the customer, whether you want to fill up your bag with only chocolate-covered gummy bears, or one of every kind of candy they have. The possibilities are endless.

Sweeties also has a great rewards program. If you ask the cashier for a punch card, you will receive one punch for each purchase you make, regardless of the amount spent. And, after 10 punches, you get $2 off of your next purchase.

So be sure to check out downtown Northampton on Saturday and stop by Sweeties for a sweet walk down memory lane. Or, next time you’re craving that after-dinner sweet, or even just a satisfying snack, stop by Sweeties and experience the feeling of being a “kid in a candy store” all over again.

Jessica Chaiken can be reached at [email protected]