At Eleanor's Sweets And Sodas, Everyone Can Be A Kid In A Candy Store

Saline residents with a sweet tooth now have a downtown destination that caters to their cravings. Eleanor’s Sweets and Sodas officially opened this spring, and has enjoyed a steady stream of visitors to its Ann Arbor Street location.

Owners Karen and Andy Tadd have been Saline residents since 2008. The Tadds both work in the field of engineering. Karen works in management consulting, while Andy teaches at the University of Michigan. Looking for a career change, the family decided to open a shop that would fill a void in the area.

“Karen was leaving one corporate job and reconsidering moving on to more of the same, so the family had some discussions about trying something new,” Andy Tadd said. “We kicked around some ideas and Karen did some great research on what types of businesses would be unique for the Saline/Ann Arbor area, and we settled on candy. Along the way, we purchased a home soda-maker, and the soda fountain concept was added in.”

The couple chose to open their shop, which is named after their daughter, Eleanor, in the vacancy across from Salt Springs Brewery on Main Street. Later, they learned the history of the building, and found that they were not the only shopkeepers to serve sodas in the space.

“When we finally secured our location, we discovered that 108 S. Main Street had at one time had the first soda fountain in the area,” Tadd said. “ It seemed like it was meant to be.”

Visitors to the shop will find seasonal soda specials each day, along with custom-made orders.

“Our sodas are made to order from carbonated water and your choice of flavored syrup. We have over fifty flavors on hand and you can mix and match. For summer, we’ve added a snow cone machine, so any flavor soda can now be a snow cone!”

Young candy shoppers are encouraged to sharpen their math skills while making their selections. Children are encouraged to grab one of the small clipboards and worksheets to keep a tally of their total purchase. If the math is correct, they can pick an extra piece of candy from a bowl at the counter.

“This grew out of our own desire to have our kids do some practical math and budgeting,” Tadd said. “ All our prices include any sales tax, so as kids shop, they can keep track of their total and be sure to stay on their budget with no surprises at checkout.”

The shop offers a wide selection of chocolates and sweets, along with hard-to-find vintage candies not found in most stores.

“Our main goal is to offer a variety in one place that can’t be found anywhere else. We stock over fifty flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, older candy like Bit-O-Honey, Black Cows, and candy cigarettes, and a wide variety of chocolates. We also have fudge and truffles in our front counter, and candy from other parts of the world.”

The shop also offers gift boxes for all occasions, as well as custom orders for parties, weddings, and events.

The Tadds have been encouraged by the warm welcome from the Saline community.

“We could not have asked for a better response,” Tadd added. “ Our first week was spring break for Saline schools, and we had a line out the door most of the first few days. Business has been steady, and we are enjoying getting to know some of our repeat customers. Folks have been sharing on social media, and we’ve been humbled by how many people have had nice things to say about their experience.”

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