Aug 3, 2007

Tommy’s Goodie Shoppe — a retro field tripBy Kelle BarrBlog.MLive.com

Remember candy necklaces, wax lips and those little wax bottles full of delicious, colorful sugar-water? How about NECCO Wafers, Rock candy, Swizzle Sticks or Pop Rocks?

If you think all those treats were a thing of the past, just take a trip down Burdick Street to Tommy’s Goodie Shoppe, where Jennifer DeKam — known to young patrons as “The Candy Lady” — doles out more than 1,000 kinds of sweets, ranging from Plainwell ice cream to 200 brands of bottled sodas.

“This is the only place in town where you can get Zots,” said Dekam, proudly.

Tommy’s seems to be the only place where you can get other long-forgotten treats, too. There’s Grape Nehi (the drink Radar on M*A*S*H* was known to guzzle), Bubble Up soda and Moxie — the elixir pop that you either love or hate. DeKam describes it as a black licorice-flavored soft drink. Tommy’s also offers Vernor’s in bottles, varieties of Crush and Dr. Enuf, which DeKam calls “the nation’s original energy drink.”

“It is just about 100 percent sugar and they started making it in the 1940s,” she said.So much for the originality of the Monster and Rockstar drinks that today’s teenagers are hooked on. Here’s some 60-year-old news: Dr. Enuf started it all.

DeKam began her venture with a much different vision three years ago. She took over the former Rexall Drug Store with plans to sell cigarettes, beer and potato chips. It wasn’t long before she decided that she’d rather revamp the place and do it another way. So, she shut down for a while.

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