The Classic California Candy Shop Where Cher Was Working The Year She Met Sonny

Cher, the award-winning American singer, actress, and half of the pop duo Sonny and Cher, continues to reinvent herself. At 80 years old, she's still considered the "Goddess of Pop" — but when she was 16 and living in Los Angeles, California, she was just a regular teenager working at one of the best candy stores in California: See's Candies. 

In the 10th grade, Cher dropped out of school and moved in with a friend. She worked at See's Candies by day and spent nights singing and dancing at clubs on the Sunset Strip. She met Sonny Bono on a double date. Bono asked her to move in as his housekeeper in exchange for rent. She quit her job at See's, and their friendship — and later romantic partnership — launched her career.  

See's Candies, a quintessential California company, got its start in the 1920s. Charles See opened the first shop using his mother's recipes and the black-and-white color scheme it's known for. Many American businesses suffered during the 1930s and 1940s, but See's Candies survived the Great Depression and continued expanding into what it is today.

It's crazy to imagine Cher wearing the brand's iconic black-and-white See's Candies uniform — a fitted, collared white button-down dress with a black bow — and greeting customers with a free sample. But by her own account, she loved working there, saying "It was Heaven! Ahh, air scented w/ Choc. 24/7" in a post on X (formerly Twitter). But it was while slinging chocolates that Cher embarked on the journey that changed her life forever. 

Within a couple of years, Sonny Bono and Cher tied the knot. Cher was singing backup where she could on songs in recording studios, and the couple got a gig performing at a club called The Purple Onion on the Strip. In 1965, "I Got You, Babe," their breakout hit, sold 4 million copies and launched them into the spotlight. They were soon playing huge concerts across the country, which is when Cher discovered one of her favorite spots in NYC that's been her go-to since she was 19: Serendipity 3.

It appears that the celebrity has a sweet tooth — so much so that in 2023, she opened an eponymous ice cream company called Cherlato after trying the best ice creams in cities around the world. If, as her famous song says, you "could turn back time," maybe you'd find that her love for sweet things stems from that teen job at See's Candies.