Candyland makes parties sweet

Nancy Guardado has been helping the community celebrate for six years, be it parties with pinatas, inflatables, a bunch of candy and whatever items needed to make a great party.

Candyland has been open in Shafter for six years, thriving even during the pandemic, which challenged a lot of store owners in Shafter and Wasco.

When we visited Guardado in 2022, she was just opening her second store, in downtown Wasco.

She was there just over a year, but closed the store to concentrate on the Shafter location.

"We had a lot of trouble in Wasco. We had our store broken into twice in the time we were open there." One of the incidents caused the store owner to replace the majority of her inventory. "They took almost everything," commented Guardado. "We had to make the decision to close the Wasco store. I just didn't feel safe there."

When asked what she liked about Shafter, her first response was the people of Shafter and the feeling she has had when operating in Shafter. "I feel so much safer here in Shafter. The Shafter Police Department has been so nice and have come so fast whenever we have had any problems."

The store is run by her and her son and daughter, a fully family-owned and operated business.

Guardado said that she has always dreamed of owning her own candy store. "I used to sell candies when I was a young child," said Guardado. "I was 13 when we moved to Shafter. I love this community and have always felt safe and appreciated here."

Be it having some good candy, jumping in an inflatable, or partying on down with a group of friends, Nancy Guardado is there to help out.

Guardado said that she gets her candies and the majority of her other supplies from Mexico and brings them back here to sell. Her collection of pinatas has something for everyone.

Guardado said that they also rent inflatables, tables, chairs – all things party-related. "The business has been great in Shafter and I just love the town. We get some business from online, but most of our business is the candies and pinatas we sell to the local people here. They are so great!"

[BEGIN ITAL]Candyland