About Us
In 1907, Gus Nickas immigrated to the United States from Greece all alone at age thirteen. He worked a variety of jobs, including candy making, and in 1919, he moved to Bloomington.
In 1933, he opened a candy store next to the Indiana Theatre and named it the Indiana Sweet Shop. In those years, the theater did not sell its own concessions. so the Nickas family sold refreshments that movie goers could take into the theater.
In the 1960s, John and Dola Lindsey-the sister of Roy Hays, who worked for Indiana for 65 years- took over operation of the Sweet Shop.
In 1977, Sophia Kim became owner of the Indiana Sweet Shop. Kim offered Hawaiian, Chinese, and Korean food alongside the candy and the milkshakes, and the shop was well known during this period for its zebra-print decor.
In 2003, David along with Scott Jackman, founded BLU Culinary Arts and BLU Boy Chocolate. To create the finest desserts and chocolates possible, David and Scott continued their training with German pastry chef Robert Oppeneder and Belgian chocolatier Jean-Pierre Wybauw.
In 2008, David and Scott opened their first retail location, BLU Boy Chocolate Café and Cakery in Bloomington, Indiana. This intimate dessert and chocolate boutique is the culmination of five years of creating and developing recipes for European-styled desserts and hand-crafted chocolates, ice cream, and espresso drinks made in-house from fresh, locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.
In 2020, David sold BLU Boy to Jeff and Judy Quyle. The Quyles, a local family and long time customers of BLU, purchased BLU to keep alive its tradition of high quality, delicious chocolates and desserts. David graciously worked with the Quyles to make the transition as seamless as possible.
In 2023, the Quyles sold BLU Boy to Bon Flores & Roderick Lane. Bon & Roderick are young entrepreneurs who have a nack for the retail business. "We have the team, knowledge, and systems to make this business flourish." says Bon.
All of BLU Boy chocolates are crafted by hand in our Bloomington, Indiana chocolate studio using no preservatives in order to bring you fresh chocolates of the highest quality. BLU Boy is currently a 90 year old business! Years of experience, recipes, and knowledge handed down from owner to owner.
