Photo Courtesy of Sugar Lu's.
Candy stores have been a part of Detroit’s food history for more than a century, and the impressive selection of sweet shops comes for a reason. When you work as hard as Metro Detroiters, you want a taste of something rich, chocolatey or decadent in your off hours, making candy and related treats the right choice for yourself or as a gift.
The relationship between Detroiters and confection retailers started back in 1875. That is when the legend of Metro Detroit candy and chocolatiers opened — Sanders. The original store started on Woodward Avenue, and it grew into a delicious empire. Today, its Clinton Township flagship store often comes up with people who have a taste for the finer sweet things.
Its attention to ingredients, impressive flavors and many stores inspired others to open candy shops as well. There are shops that offer nostalgic offerings mostly, giving you the best kind of trip back in time. So if you love Bit O Honeys, you’ll have somewhere to stock up. The hardest part will be finding a place to hide all of your loot when you get home.
Other stores are focused on the latest in treats, whether it is a selection of handmade goodies that show off their chocolate tempering skills to the newest national sweets to places that mix their candy with gifts or toys so you can buy everything you need at once. These stores are hugely popular in cities such as Ferndale, Clawson and Northville for good reason.
Here are five Metro Detroit candy stores that will help you fulfill the sweetest parts of eating with an endless selection of sugary stuff.
Doc Sweets
Clawson is home to a beloved candy shop where for the past decade people have bought gifts for family, sweets for friends and at least one bag for themselves. Doc Sweets, which opened in 2008, calls itself Michigan’s largest retail candy store and is well known for being an old-school candy shop. It carries everything from Abba Zaba to Zotz. You can buy the candy by the piece – if you have that much discipline – to buy the pound.
Sugar Lu’s
Your sweet tooth will take you straight to Northville, where locals know candy haven for its unique assortment and retro candies. Plus, the décor is as sweet as the products. Whether you’re looking for Jelly Belly to Runts to Clark Bars, you can find something that will delight every member of the family. Sugar Lu’s also carries “healthier” treats as well, such as a Matcha Green Tea white chocolate from candy company Compartes, giving you a tasty antioxidant-filled treat.
The Rocket
Consider this Ferndale candy shop an ideal blend of sweet and sour offerings, whether you need a gift box of chocolate-covered cherries for your spouse or a block of caramels for that friend in need. Those in the know say that The Rocket carries a great candy selection you cannot find anywhere else. It also has a wide array of gift ideas, whether you need something for a kid’s birthday party to a Grandparents Day present.
Alpine Chocolat Haus
Everyone should have a Chocolatmeister in your life – and there is one for Metro Detroit in Plymouth. Bruce Brown of Alpine Chocolat Haus earned that title for his years of hard work perfecting recipes, such as the well-known mix of dark and white chocolate on caramel corn along with a dose of peanut butter. If you want something other than chocolate, there are other options there such as seafoam. It also has locations in Gaylord, Boyne City and Sault Ste. Marie if you are traveling and need to get a fix.
Bon Bon Bon
If you like a small dose of sweets in a perfect bite-sized package, then you need to check out Bon Bon Bon. This artisan confectionery shop with locations in Hamtramck and Detroit says its “good goodies” are “two polite bites,” so just enough to feel satisfied with every flavor. And the flavors are as delicious as they are beautiful. Some new ones to try include High Tea, which includes Earl Grey tea and Devonshire cream, as well as longtime favorites such as the Chocolate PBJ.
