Justyna Goodman admits her new business will have dentists smiling and local gyms oiling their exercise bikes.

But hey, what would life be like without the guilty and hard-to-find pleasures of German chocolate, canned cakes and cookies from England, Italian nougat, Danish licorice sticks and cherry Cokes?

Sweet teeth of Victoria, your new fix has arrived.

Oh Sugar is the newest candy shop to hit the city.

And you can bounce all over the globe with just one visit to the candy-cramped boutique on lower Johnson Street downtown.

"Last count we had candies and chocolate and other items from 17 countries, and that's just going higher as more people tell me what they want," said Goodman, who runs Oh Sugar with husband Rick and the couple's 12-year-old son, Phill.

The Goodmans, who have owned several businesses ranging from restaurants and cigars to wax seals for envelopes and packaging, are Ottawa refugees who took a shine to Victoria's climate and kitschy downtown after a visit a few years ago.

"We were tired of the snow and mosquitoes, and Victoria is such a beautiful city," says Justyna, 43, a native of Poland who arrived in Canada more than 20 years ago. "I've always been a chocoholic, so it was an easy to decision to open this kind of store. And when we saw this location, we had to do it.

"I'm the kid in the candy store now," she added. "And believe me, it's a pretty happy place to be. If someone's depressed, come to me. I've got lots of chocolate."

With its logo of a full-figured Betty Boop-type character with devil's horns touting "sinfully good chocolates and sweets from around the world," Oh Sugar caters to international candy aficionados. There are dozens of varieties of bon bons, licorice and jelly beans — including some far-out flavours like bacon and chipotle.

There are Tortuga Rum cakes, Kinder chocolates, a range of Bassett's products, creamy fudge candies, Milka bars, giant jawbreakers, swirled lollipops and Kookaburra mango and green apple licorice bits from Australia. And who remembers Pop Shoppe and Fanta sodas? Or how about a Fiery Ginger Beer to slake that chocolate thirst?

"The whole idea is for people to tell me what they want. We had some students from Mexico who showed me some wrappers from home, and I got those candies. I've just got some Japanese candies and chocolate. That's the fun part of the business.

"We are not your normal candy store."