HELL'S KITCHEN — Their ending was not so sweet.
Sweet Gifts at Video Cafe, a Hell's Kitchen candy shop with a DVD rental spot in the back, will close by the end of the month, after 20 years at the corner of West 48th Street and Ninth Avenue.
The store announced the closing in a note posted on its Facebook page and front door.
"We are sorry to inform you that we can no longer serve our beloved community," the note said. "It breaks our hearts to have to say these words, but as you can see from the changes to our community and rising rents, we can no longer continue our operations. We thank you for your support, kindness and memories that will remain in our hearts forever."
A unique blend of old-school candy shop, video store and gift shop, Sweet Gifts sold its own homemade fudge, along with ice cream, stuffed animals, jelly beans and a wide array of candies, and rented a curated selection of new releases and classic films.
Video Cafe began purely as a video store, but eventually added candies such as Abba Zabbas and Charleston Chews, along with gifts, in the hopes of adapting to a post-Netflix world.
The store is having one last blowout before closing, with a 40 percent discount on candy and gifts. All of the store's DVDs are on sale for $5 each.
On the store's Facebook page, customers and candy-lovers mourned Sweet Gifts' closing.
"Very sad to hear that one of my favorite Hell's Kitchen locations has to close its doors," wrote Richard Azzolino. "I could always count on you for last-minute gifts or an urgent sweet tooth fix."
Staff at the shop would not comment for this story, and the store's owners could not immediately be reached for comment.
