Candy Stores You Didn't Know Existed (But Certainly Should!) (Slideshow)

For Kit Kat lovers in Japan, dreams do come true! The brand has opened a boutique showcasing many different flavors presenting different regional specialties. It offers flavors like sublime bitter, special Sakura green tea,special chili as well as purple potato, cinnamon cookie, European cheese, bean cake and wasabi. The Kit Kat brand partnered exclusively with Japanese chocolatier Takagi for the venture and tucked the boutique inside the Seibu department store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.

The Hello Kitty Sweets shop in Taipei is the place to go for all things Hello Kitty, an immensely popular Japanese cartoon kitten. The shop offers everything from cookies to cakes to candies, all decked out in Hello Kitty signature icons. Beyond the candies for sale, there is also a sit-down café where you can relax, sip on a cup of tea and take in all that is Hello Kitty (think cupcakes, candy and lollipops).

The Willy Wonka display inside the Toys 'R Us flagship store in Times Square is filled with neat edible designs like the larger-than-life candy mushrooms that are part of the replica of the famous Wonka edible garden. Guests can indulge in sweets like the Wonka exclusive collection made of premium chocolate as well as tasty items like Fun Dip, NERDS and Laffy Taffy. 

For the ultimate education in jelly beans, hungry sugar lovers should check out the Jelly Bean Factory in Fairfield, California. Guests can take tours, enroll in Jelly Bean University or just eat their way through the candy and chocolate shoppe. Jelly Bean's products include additional items like Belly Flops, Sunkist Candies, BeanBoozled and Chocolate Dips. 

All things gummie bears can be found in Indiana at the Albanese Factory. In 2001, the shop developed a gummie bear that does not freeze and is suitable for ice cream, both soft served and hard packed. All of its gummies are gluten free and the company offers them in a sugar free variety as well. They come in all shapes and sizes like worms, butterflies and frogs in flavors like Concord Grape and Granny Smith Apple. 

In the heart of Austin, Texas candy lovers will find a unique spot known as the Big Top Candy Shop that carries a variety of Circus-themed candies and treats. . Adults and children alike can choose from a vast selection of bulk candy and roughly 2,000 types of individually wrapped candy. It's also known for its famous soda fountain.

It's all about preserving tradition at Columbia Candy Kitchen. The Danish candy store was opened in the late 1800s by a Danish confectioner who moved to Columbia, Ca. during the Gold rush. All of the candy is cooked in bright copper kettles and cooled on marble tables that are over 100 years old, according to the shop. Some of their homemade specialties include honeycomb, almond bark, fresh fruit jellies and peanut butter fudge. 

If you are obsessed with Japanese mochi candy, Nisshodo in Honolulu, Hawaii is the place for you. It specializes in mochi and manju treats, as well as chi chi dango, which is a traditional Japanese dessert that can come wrapped in either pink or white sweet milk mocha. Another specialty item is the Kinako Dango, a tasty variation of Chi Chi Dango covered in roasted soy bean powder.

While Economy Candy might not have a particular type of specialty candy, the novelty of this store is in its size. The store, which is located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan is doing everything super-sized and in bulk. Sugar-crazed customers can find almost anything in this shop — which despite containing super-sized products, is ironically quite small — like gumballs to rock candy to artisanal chocolates and New York-themed candy gifts.

Online gourmet candy boutique Sugarfina has just launched its first store front in Beverly Hills, Ca. The brand is known for its cocktail themed candies including Champagne Gummy Bears, Cuba Libre (spiced rum and coke gummies) and Peach Bellini Gummies. It also is home to a private candy concierge for private clients and events as well as a build your own bento wall where customers can pick up either an 8 or 3-piece box to fill up with their candy assortments.