A taste of Turkey: local shop shares culture through sweets

Lokum has been a hub of Turkish culture in downtown San Luis Obispo for the last four years. The specialty store offers authentic Turkish delights and handcrafted gifts imported directly from Turkey.

Lokum, located on Higuera Street, is the second location for owners and brothers Levent and Bulent Derdiyok, who opened their first shop in Santa Barbara five years ago. The brothers originally operated retail stores in Istanbul before shifting their focus to California’s Central Coast.

“We knew this would be something different and unique,” Levent said. “Everything you see in this store is imported from Turkey, from bottom to top. Even the tiles on the floor, the lanterns, tables.”​

The shop’s centerpiece is its Turkish delights — colorful, chewy sweets crafted from high-quality ingredients and shipped by air to ensure freshness. Lokum offers a wide variety of flavors, including traditional rose, lemon and orange, as well as traditional spices like pistachio and saffron.

“We’re very careful about what we bring here,” Levent said. “Sometimes we have Turkish customers, they’re just traveling, and they are trying our Turkish delights and they said to me many times ‘oh I haven’t eaten this kind of Turkish delight back in Turkey.’”​

Store manager Hamza Direk, who has worked at Lokum since it opened in SLO, said that community connection is a major part of the store’s experience.

“Sometimes people don’t buy anything — they just learn about Turkey, and that’s big for us,” Direk said. “It’s not just about selling sweets. It’s about sharing a piece of our culture.”​

Farmers’ market nights bring even more visitors to the store, allowing Lokum to educate customers about Turkish traditions, foods and history. Construction management senior Chloe Wilson decided to check it out.

“My friend kept raving about it so I thought I would check it out,” Wilson said.

Direk says the energy of the community, especially the college students, helps keep the store lively.

“We appreciate the students here,” Direk said. “They keep the town fun and keep us feeling young.”​

Looking ahead, Levent said they are considering a new project: opening an authentic Turkish restaurant in San Luis Obispo.

“This is the best we can do for a shop like this,” he said. “But for the future, maybe we’ll bring real Turkish food to SLO.”​

Lokum is open daily and also offers online ordering for their sweets and gifts.