The sweeties behind the sweet shop: Mother-daughter duo bring a ‘good mix’

Home Culture The sweeties behind the sweet shop: Mother-daughter duo bring a ‘good mix’
The sweeties behind the sweet shop: Mother-daughter duo bring a ‘good mix’
Andrew Dixon | Collegian

From maple bun candy to gummy bears, the Small Town Sweet Boutique in downtown Hillsdale has something for everyone. 

“With candy, there’s a little something for everybody,” said manager Alexandra Brock. “Some people may like dark chocolate almonds. Or some people will eat sweet tarts until they can’t feel their mouth anymore. You’re never going to find a person who can’t find something at the candy store.” 

Alexandra and Danielle Brock are a daughter-mom duo who opened the candy shop in September 2017. 

“We carry unique treats to nostalgic classics,” Alexandra said. “We carry some every day things that you can find more easily in other stores. We also carry other brands that are unique. We like to carry a lot of the nostalgic candy bars that people reminisce about, but are very hard to find.”

The store aims to provide candy that can’t be found anywhere else, according to Danielle. 

“We want things that you can’t find at Walgreens or Walmart. Different lines that you can’t find anywhere else. Candy that you would find in your grandma’s candy dish,” she said. 

The store caters to two groups who prefer two different kinds of candy. 

“Depending on the customer base, there’s the two different demographics. Among the older, the most favorite is the maple bun which is a chocolate nut nougat cluster. For the younger generations, anything sour like those slime licker things,” Danielle said. “The classic gummy bears are always a huge hit.” 

Danielle and Alexandra moved to the Hillsdale community five years ago. During that time, Danielle noticed a need for something focused on children. 

“We’re always up for events that are children-involved,” she said. “That’s something we saw lacking in the community. There wasn’t anything for kids and families.”

The candy shop hosts events specifically for kids and regularly contributes to children’s charities. 

“Anytime we get a chance, we do things for children’s charities,” Danielle said. “We always say the more the community supports us, the more we can give back.” 

Danielle has a background in event planning, so opening the candy shop was also an opportunity to combine retail and custom-made items. 

“I’ve always done candy centerpieces and party favors on the side. It was some place for me to build the candy bouquets,” she said. “Retail made it possible. Since we moved here, we’ve seen a void of different stores and retail locations. Combining the two just made sense.”

Alexandra focuses on the business side of the operation, while her mother focuses on the artistic side. 

“She’s got the business background, so I get to do the fun stuff,” Danielle said. “We kind of split that responsibility. I follow through with more of the bouquets and favors. We’re a good mix that way.” 

The two enjoy different aspects of the candy shop. Danielle takes the most pleasure in making the custom items, she said, while Alexandra focuses on pop culture and bringing in new candy. The shop also enjoys a steady flow of regulars who make up the life of the store, according to Danielle. 

“We enjoy the customers who come in. We’ve got a lot of regulars,” Danielle said. “There’s a lot of regulars whose weekly routine involves coming here, which is good to see because it’s nice to see them every week. We have our farmers who go to the bank on Thursdays mornings and come to get their Zagnuts. Country National Bank employees are some of our best customers.” 

Since its opening, the store has had such a steady flow of customers that they are opening a bigger store in Adrian. The Brock’s only two challenges with their store in Hillsdale are learning how to best use their space, whether it be for hosting events or as a work space for custom made items, and attracting more Hillsdale College students. 

“We don’t see as many college kids as we thought we would see,” Danielle said. “I definitely thought we would get more of the college crowd.” 

Senior Phoebe Fink thought the problem might be that college students often stop eating candy as they get older. She hastened to add that there is still candy that reminds her of her childhood.

“Even though I don’t eat it on a regular basis anymore,” she said. “There are definitely a few types that will transport me back to pre-COVID, pre-teen, simpler times. Specifically, peanut M&Ms on a car trip or watermelon Sour Patch Kids in a movie theater.”

Danielle added that the Hillsdale community has been very supportive of the new store. Candy, she said, has universal appeal. 

“I think that candy brings joy to everybody. Any candy will spark a good memory of the past. Candy doesn’t really associate itself to negative things,” she said. “When you were a kid and you got a lollipop, it was for a job well done. Nobody is really unhappy when they’re eating candy.” 

Walking through the store, even as a college student, will open up old memories from childhood, Danielle said. 

“A lot of people tell us that walking through here and just taking the time to look around is definitely a trip down memory lane,” she said. “Even though you’re 19, 20 years old, you’ll see things you totally forgot about having as a kid with your family. It’s going to trigger some memories.”