35°
Westwood Candy Company & Gift Shoppe, owned by Kim Aluotto, will close on June 29.
Aluotto opened the store shortly after moving to the area with her family from Denville in 2021.
She left her full-time job as an occupational therapist to fulfill her dream of opening a candy and gift shop, something with a little bit more eccentricity and flexibility.
"I love working with people and I had this idea of candy and gifts — just a fun place, and there was nothing else like it in Westwood," Aluotto said. "I wanted it to be whimsical but also classy, and I always thought of the old Christmas song."
Aluotto is referencing "The Christmas Song" lyrics: "From kids 1 to 92, Merry Christmas to you."
She said she adopted a similar motto.
"Whether you're 1 or 101, I wanted something for everybody, and I think I achieved that," she said.
Westwood Candy carried a unique collection of treasures and gifts, retro candies, classics, and more.
A changing buyer's market and personal matters contributed to Aluotto's choice to close the shop, she said, pushing her to make the move "sooner rather than later."
Aluotto, who previously owned a children's consignment shop in Morristown, says she'll be returning to working in occupational therapy, and helping out with her husband's contracting company on the side.
As for a return to entrepreneurial work? Aluotto says it's all up in the air right now.
"I do have that creative need," she said. "I'm hoping that it evolves and will guide me instead of trying to make it into something specific."
Westwood Candy Company & Gift Shoppe is located at 260 Westwood Ave., in Westwood.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paramus and receive free news updates.
