Rocket Fizz Sells Sweet Memories... And Bacon Soda

It's hard to be unhappy when you're surrounded by Bazooka bubblegum, Jerry Lee Lewis music and bacon-flavored soda.

That's what Rusty Hadjilou and Tim Teymoorian are banking on with their Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop on Avenida del Mar. Their grand opening celebration is Friday and Saturday.

"It's the kind of business where you're dealing with people who are happy all the time," Teymoorian said. "It's kind of a great feeling when people come in and ask, 'Oh, do you have this from when I was a kid?' and they say, 'Oh my God! I haven't seen this in 20 years--in 40 years!'"

With almost 400 varieties of bottled soda, 1,000 kinds of candy--including 87 flavors of salt-water taffy--and hundreds of signs, posters and novelties, Rocket Fizz is designed to take customers back to their youths. Even the music playing on the overhead speakers is 1950s and '60s pop.

"Even though that wasn't our era," said Hadjilou, 24, "you almost feel like you're living it."

Teymoorian added, "The more time you spend in this store, the more you fall in love with those years."

Rocket Fizz purveys classic sweets like Beeman's Black Jack gum, Albert's Chocolate Ice Cubes and Bonimo Turkish taffies. There are also weirder novelty items like scorpion lollipops, ant candy (with real ants) and soda flavored like bacon or buffalo wings.

Rocket Fizz isn't quite a franchise, but the concept was invented by a friend of Teymoorian and Hadjilou, both of San Juan Capistrano. They said there are just under 20 Rocket Fizz shops around the U.S., all independently owned.

This weekend's grand opening will feature a face painter and free taffy and soda tasting.

The store had its soft opening in late October.