Why are grownups waiting in line to buy candy on the LES? An investigation.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine – who is 26 years old – told me in all seriousness that she wanted to spend her birthday stocking up on candy from a shop on the Lower East Side.

She described a space she’d seen on TikTok that had buckets full of colorful gummy skulls, licorice pieces and gummy soda bottles. This shop has been located on Allen Street since 2018, so why the fuss, and why now?

I dove into TikTok expecting to see videos of parents and excited children doing unboxings. Instead, I saw clips upon clips of mostly women in their 20s documenting their experiences at the store, including waiting in a line that stretched out the door.

BonBon was started by Swedish immigrants and friends Robert Persson, Selim Adira, and Leo Schaltz. They have since expanded to locations in Williamsburg and on the Upper East Side. All the founders previously worked in other industries, but have said they always wanted to bring Swedish candy culture to New York.

On its website, BonBon says all its products are imported from Sweden and highlights its gluten-free, gelatin-free, vegan and natural flavors.

The store offers candies and flavors that can be hard to come by in the United States, such as salty licorice fish, gingersnap chocolate bars called Marabou, and the beloved caramel-chocolate bar, Daim.

Candy at BonBon goes for $18 a pound, and they sell premade mixes and wrapped candies you can order online for around $20.

But could any candy be worth the wait? I had to find out.

Beware the restock.

BonBon is so popular that it took me two separate visits to buy some candy.

The first time I visited, around 2 p.m. on a sunny Saturday, about nine people were in line when I arrived.

In front of the shop, two women sat on the bench eating their candy. Sedsil Ostbjerg, a Dane who now lives in the East Village, was with her…