A Sugary New Addition to the Neighborhood

When one walks into Sweet Buddha, bright colors abound – and so does candy. The front area of the store features everything from accessories to candy to clothing emblazoned with the the store’s logo of a Buddha figure holding a lollipop with a candy necklace around its neck. Also featured: a giant boat filled to the brink with salt water taffy.

Once you get to the upstairs area you are met by Sarah Miller-designed jewelry. The pieces hang from the walls and sit on tables. The jewelry ranges from long chain necklaces with the Hand of Fatima to beaded bracelets.

Next comes a large carpeted area, where the majority of the fun happens. This is where parties, yoga classes, and dance lessons are held. The area also has a small bench on which for the children can eat and drink.

“I have designed Sweet Buddha to be a fun, warm, and comfortable place for people of all ages to come and hang out,” store owner Miller said. “It’s a one-stop shop for dance classes, parties, all kinds of gifts, one of a kind gift baskets, and more!”

  Before 2014, Sarah Miller, was going door to door selling her jewelry, when finally she had enough of the tiresome job. Her real estate owner husband had a place on Armitage which was the perfect spot, she decided,  to open her own store to sell her jewelry. The reason behind its transformation to a candy store was to attract customers.  

Since her husband was already paying for the space, they decided to open up a store with her business partner April Urdan. Miller and Urdan are no longer partners. Building her own shop,  as she described it, was a “no risk” kind of plan.

Originally the plan was that the store would only be a pop-up store. They moved into the space on Armitage during August of 2013 and were out by August of 2014.  Even though the space was no longer available, she still wanted to continue on with her shop. So Miller looked for a new space.

The next space she found was right next to Frankie’s on the Park, a clothing and accessories store, located a four minute walk from Parker, two things that she says has helped her business. Miller moved in during August 2014 and hopes that being close to Parker will also attract more customers.

“I love going to Sweet Buddha after school,”  freshman Caroline Viravec said. “The place has so many wonderful sweets, and the owner is always so welcoming. I think overall that the store adds a lot to the neighborhood.”

Miller is excited about offering Parker students with a Parker student I.D a 10% discount.

Dance lessons are held by Sweet Buddha’s partner, Chicago Loves Dance, which hosts parties and dance choreography. They also offer hip-hop, cheerleading, and yoga lessons at Sweet Buddha.

“Our partnership with Sweet Buddha is great.” Cindy Leske of Chicago Loves Dance said. “Our birthday parties are a huge hit, and in the last two weekends we did five birthday parties at Sweet Buddha.”

Two little girls were having their 11th birthday party there recently. They walked in with their mother, with large grins on their faces.

After setting up the cake and the goodie bags, the two girls and their friends decided to look around. While roaming the store, their gazes went directly to all the candy Sweet Buddha has to offer. One of their stops along the way was a laser that projects mustaches.  The girls shared a laugh.

Once they finished their window shopping, they joined the rest of their friends. The party truly started when instructor Cindy Leske, came in with her hula hoops.

Leske began with stretches. After that, they played with the hula hoops and learned some choreography.  The song of choice: “Uptown Funk,” by Bruno Mars. They started with a posing, shimmy, move, and continued with a lot of moving, and a lot of switching places- all simple choreography that required little to no experience.

Once they finished their dancing, and successfully tired themselves out, they ate what most kids do at birthday parties: pizza and cake.

All the while, Miller was attentively hosting and attending to her shop. Miller, who works 4 days a week, does a variety of jobs including organizing and creating personalized gift baskets.