Baker Jami Curl has ruled the cupcake scene in Portland, OR, for eight years now at her much revered Saint Cupcake. Recently, she added confectioner to her title and opened Quin Candy, an edgy sweet shop specializing in candies made from locally sourced ingredients and geared to a grown-up palate. To create the interior of the tiny store—it's barely 180 square feet—Curl has taken her love of hip hop and mixed it with a dash of cosmopolitan style, or, as she describes it,""Yo! MTV Raps meets Paris Metro station." The results are a design lesson in mixing darks and brights. To learn more, visit Quin Candy.
Photography by Maggie Hudson of Honeysuckle Photography.
Above: The neon-lit storefront is located in downtown Portland's newly developed Union Way.
Above: Curl used black chalkboard paint for the walls. She explains: "We love the matte finish of the paint, and it was just the right shade of black. But mostly we love the way it absorbs light instead of reflecting it and really anchors the whole space."
Above: A yellow neon sign adds a splash of color to the storefront. The pinatas are from Prospect Goods, a local outfit that offers a modern, glam take on the humble pinata.
Above: A wall of black shelving runs the width of the store.
Above: Quin's candy is packaged in packages of 10 and 20 pieces. Best sellers? "A tie between Jacobsen Sea Salt Caramels and Dreams Come Chew—which are similar to Starbursts only 100 times better," says Curl.
Above: Quin is located in Union Way, the skylit passage that links the Ace Hotel to Powell Books, two of Portland's mainstays.
Check out our post on Quin Candy's Union Way neighbors, Spruce Apothecary, and our post on another edgy candy store, Papabubble in New York.
Location of Quin Candy in Portland:
View Larger Map