Sugarfina opens first Florida store at Aventura Mall

Sugarfina, a high-end candy boutique, opened its first store in Florida at Aventura Mall on Friday, as the brand expands nationwide.

Sugarfina launched in August 2012, selling its premium confections online, then opened its first retail store in Beverly Hills in 2013. By July, the company expects to have 16 retail locations & 12 Nordstrom Shop-In-Shops throughout North America, according to a release.

The store features “Candy Bento Boxes,” which customers can customize by selecting among more than 130 candies from around the world. Sugarfina says that three-quarters of its candy is not available anywhere else in the United States.

“We created Sugarfina because the candy store of our dreams didn’t exist and we’re delighted to expand our footprint in Miami,” co-founders Rosie O’Neill, former director of marketing for Barbie, and Josh Resnick, a former video game entrepreneur, said in a statement.

Sugarfina’s Aventura store, on the mall’s lower level, features an aqua door with custom antique bronze door handle, bright white design with glossy white fixtures, an aqua neon “candy” sign, and a statement art wall consisting of handmade white paper flowers.

Aventura has been amping up its array of stores, including luxury designer boutiques. Givenchy and Gucci are scheduled to open this year, join the mall’s collection of upscale boutiques that includes Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Fendi, Burberry, Bally and Emilio Pucci.  — Ina Cordle