TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — It's a store that grew up with this town.
In 28 years, the evolution of Lofty Pursuits has put our community on the map for its sweet treats.
When making the candy, Owner Gregory Cohen said it's all about timing and getting the perfect temperature.
This is important because when you pour, mix and stretch it out, the candy can come out perfect.
Cohen said it's a form of artwork, one that the workers at Lofty Pursuits have perfected all thanks to him.
"We ship it worldwide," Cohen said. "Bringing Tallahassee to the rest of the world."
Cohen said he has a digital reach of over 500,000 people on his YouTube page.
Cohen is now a candy maker, but his story starts back in the 1980s as a juggler.
"I went from manufacturing juggling equipment to opening the store front," Cohen said. "At a certain point, the day job got in the way of the hobby so I decided to make the hobby my day job."
Opening in 1993, it started as a small concept.
"We're still in business, but it's changed many times," Cohen said.
As his interests grew, so did the store. He now sells yoyos, kites, disk golf sets and even has a marching band named after his business.
Then of course, the sweet treats came. From ice cream to candy, Cohen wants Lofty Pursuits to be an escape to find joy.
"When I grew up in Brooklyn, we had something called the candy store that was a newspaper stand that sold kites in season, yoyos in season, things like that, but also sold ice cream and egg cream like we sell," Cohen said. "It's a place I went to at least once a week growing up and when I expanded lofty pursuits from just a toy store I was bringing the joys of my own childhood."
His childhood fun has been shared with generations of families across the big bend.
"The more people we bring in here and the more we show off our community, the happier it is because we can share the joy of Tallahassee, " Cohen said.
Making this a place that is totally Tallahassee.
