Publications & Sites 
Northbrook candy store owner is sweet on making her gifts personal
Lindsay Erickson, owner of Get Happy is a concert violinist and music teacher, who is passionate about her career. She also happens to love candy and greeting cards, and that is what led her to open the candy kiosk. | Jackie Pilossoph~for Sun-Times Medi
Get Happy
2171 Northbrook Court
(847) 272-2688
www.gethappyusa.com
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Updated: March 22, 2013 6:24AM
NORTHBROOK — Lindsay Erickson is a concert violinist and music teacher who is passionate about her career. She also happens to love candy and greeting cards, and that is what led her to open Get Happy, the candy kiosk in Northbrook court that sells containers of candy with personalized labels.
“I love greeting cards, but people end up throwing them out most of the time,” said Erickson, who lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin with her husband and son, “So I wanted to create something that they would save, and something that was unique, that would make people’s day a little brighter.”
Get Happy, with additional locations in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills, first opened in 2011. The Northbrook location has been open for three months.
The kiosk, which is located on the lower level of the mall by the children’s tree house, has 80 different bins with chewy varieties that include Swedish Fish, Sour Patch, Australian licorice, which is Erickson’s favorite, and the store specialty, various gummies from all over the world in several different flavors.
Candy can be purchased in bags, but here’s what makes Get Happy unique. The store sells five different sized clear containers that are either bottles or boxes. The customer can fill it with different candy of their choice, and then add a personalized label.
“You can use one of our labels, or you tell us what to write and we will print up your message,” said Erickson, “And then it becomes your card and your gift all in one.”
Stock labels include messages that read, “Happy Treats for Sundays with homework,” “Happy Treats because I love you,” “Happy treats for sweet people,” and “Happy treats for a job well done.”
Erickson said they make great gifts for co-workers, kids, of course, birthdays, care packages for college kids and party favors. The company also does mass party favors for big occasions.
Fritzie Fritzhall, who lives on the North Shore stopped by to get a gift for her grandson, a recent college graduate who lives in New Orleans, helping to rebuild the city.
“I just wanted to send him some candy to tell him how much we love him,” she said.
“It caught my eye,” said Paula Lovitz of Arlington Heights, who bought blue raspberry, mango and watermelon gummy bears, “It’s so bright and colorful, and they were so helpful, asking me what flavors I liked and advising me on the gummy bears.”
Erickson said she makes sure to monitor the candy every day, assessing how fast each bin is selling, and changing the candy if needed so that it stays fresh.
The price of candy-filled containers ranges from $5.95 to $21.95, and if a customer brings back their container and fills it up with candy, they receive a 20 percent discount.
Katie Beason is from Cedarburg, but lives in the city and has worked for Get Happy since day one.
“Helping people find a way to make someone else’s day happy is a great job,” said Beason, who claims her favorite candy is sour poppers, “It’s fun and it’s always happy people with kids.”
“My favorite part of this is helping someone personalize their message, because I feel like the messenger who is making someone’s day brighter,” Erickson said.
