The Thompson family revamped the former Ginger Deli space with a sixteen-foot-wide wall lined with bins of Swedish sweets. | J. Adrian Wylie
Many a child’s fantasy is coming true for a pair of sisters, nine and eleven: their parents are opening a candy store!
Sweet Hop Swedish Candy, in the former Ginger Deli on E. Liberty, specializes in what’s become a global phenomenon fueled by social media. Randy Thompson says the wide range of fruity, sour, and salty confections imported from Sweden is more than just a commodity.
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“I’d like it to be an overall experience where you get to come in, you get to make your bag, you get to interact with our employees. You have candy that you haven’t seen before,” he says. “The whole act of creating your mix is kind of the attraction for it.”
And while no one would call the sugary treats a health food, he says Swedish candy is more natural than most: “Generally you’re not going to find any artificial dyes. You have vegan, gluten-free options. You have good, intense flavors without artificial flavoring, fresh, just overall high-quality candy.”
The Monroe native was looking to return to entrepreneurship after working most recently in auto sales and financing. At age nineteen, he and a partner opened pizzerias in Temperance and Dundee, selling them twelve years later.
The family, including wife Corrine, a metadata librarian at Clarivate, has been enjoying their product research, from tart gummies to pillowy marshmallows to salty licorice. Customers can pick and choose from a sixteen-foot-wide wall of bins stocked with colorful treats in fanciful shapes—from happy flowers to foamy mushrooms and gummy skulls. Bags are weighed at checkout and priced at $19.75 per pound.
Curated bags provide convenience and less risk of cross-contamination for those with ingredient sensitivities. Sweet Hop also offers gift boxes and tailgate platters.
The store’s first TikTok preview has garnered over 12,000 views, which Thompson finds “really exciting. My wholesaler keeps telling me I don’t have enough candy, that I’m going to be very surprised how busy we are.”
At press time he was awaiting the final occupancy permit, but online ordering is up and running. The candy made its local debut through the shop’s sponsorship of Ann Arbor Pride on August 1.
Thompson says the family may move to town once the store gets established. “We’d like the girls to grow up in a city with a little bit more diversity, a little bit more culture,” he says. “Monroe is great, grew up there, but Ann Arbor is what we want to be part of.”
Sweet Hop Swedish Candy, 203 E. Liberty. (734) 263–2986. Mon.–Wed. 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Thurs.–Sat. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun. noon–5 p.m. sweethopcandy.com
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