Tobi Wong is eyeing the guy in the glasses. The one who keeps dipping his hand in the candy jar. Over and over and over again. Unapologetically. "Doesn't he know those are samples?

That's so rude!" Tobi is appalled. But you can't fault the guy: the little candies--which spell out "Cappellini" in black sugar--are delish! When Tobi fluttered off to get me eggnog, I pocketed a few extra from the sample jar, too.

Cappellini's SoHo store might seem an unlikely venue for a pop-up shop proffering lollipops and other sweets by the Japanese confectioner Papabubble.

But the Candy Shoppe, which runs through the holidays, is the latest collaboration between Tobi and frequent partner-in-crime Josee Lepage, who based the edible designs on Cappellini creations.

(There's even a candy likeness of a Stephen Burks's Love bowl, sure to give even the most devout Burks fan a queasy sugar high.)

So, why candy? "It's a recession," says Tobi. "No one wants to buy furniture, but they'll buy candy because it's cheap." Suckers!

+ papabubblenewyork.blogspot.com