Spreckels' Sweet Treat

Spreckels Sweets and Treats at the Del in Coronado, Calif., was created to honor the late John Spreckels, a man who, more than a century ago, put faith in the Hotel del Coronado, in Coronado, Calif.

“We wanted an old-timey candy shop for both kids and adults that might have had been around in the 1800s,” says Jaci Springfield, owner of Springfield Design, the San Diego-based firm that designed the 1014-square-foot space.

So designers divided the store into two sections – the children’s area with a bold palette and red as the prominent color, and an adult section that uses more sophisticated black and white hues. “We used the same materials, in red, white and black, but in different ways,” Springfield says.

The hotel, which owns the store, created a mascot dog named Spreckels for a whimsical touch. “We don’t know if Mr. Spreckels had a dog, but it just seemed cute,” says Springfield.

The shop that now sells gourmet chocolate and dog treats was once divided into a jewelry store that took up the right side and a shoe store on the left. “We decided to close the hallway and incorporate those two stores together,” Springfield says.

Period-specific materials fill the store, including black-and-white corel marble used on the candy counter and built-in shelving units. Replica milk glass light fixtures lit with low-voltage MR-16s, red-and-white-striped window treatments and even red tin buckets for kids to fill with candy are also found here. The feature displays have bead board paneling and cabinetry that’s distressed with a hand-rubbed black finish. “I put legs on the shelving units so it looks more like furniture instead of cabinetry,” she says. “I wanted it to be charming.”

Springfield also selected Forbo linoleum tiles for the flooring because of its retro-charm. “It’s a traditional material that wears very well,” she says. “We did a checker board pattern in the kids’ section to keep with the design of the store.”

Purchased by the store owners as a prop, a life-size statue of Spreckels the dog greets customers at the entrance. His image can also be found on merchandise, as well as in the illuminated dog-shaped cut-outs on the bead board paneling walls.