Main Street Stories: Buchanan Sweet Shop - Café Italiano

BUCHANAN, Mich. -- The sweet smell of baked goods and Italian cuisine fills the air as you walk through the doors of the 1940s style Italian café, or bar, as it would be called in Italy.

The Sweet Shop - Café Italiano, while not new to Historic Buchanan's Front Street, has new owners that have paid homage to the historic Sweet Shop, but added a new flair that takes you to the streets of Sicily.

The café was opened in 1947, and only closed for renovations during the pandemic. The original owners purchased used equipment when they opened, so the bar, stools and tables date back to 1936.

"This is an icon. The 80 and 90-year-olds that come roaring in here, you know, they're just reliving the dream," said co-owner Thomas Hitchcock. "We have a couple of ladies that buy nothing but a milkshake. And they want the whipped cream and the cherry, and they'll scrape it off. But that's what they had in their teens."

"We make homemade phosphates…and some of these seniors have been drinking those for like 60 years. It's crazy."

Co-owner Joseph Paolucci says the town of Buchanan has really supported them.

"The community has been really, really supportive. They've really embraced us. All of them have. At first people told us that the older community might not really support us because we've changed so much but we really haven't. It's the same place. We've just added the Italian food. And they love it."

In this story, we find history meeting culture. This is due to Paolucci's Italian roots.

"My parents are from Italy, and they came here in 1958. I grew up speaking Italian and everything Italian…we have delicious Italian food," shared Paolucci.

The mouthwatering menu features toasted subs, pastas, cannoli's, fresh pesto made daily, and 8" pizzas.

"We import the pizza crust from Italy. It's fire roasted, par baked. They have amazing, amazing European wheat, the Durum wheat. Our cannoli shells, we bring in from Sicily. We import the sweet ricotta cheese and make them in small batches all day long," said Hitchcock.

Artisan gelatos and sorbettos line the case as you walk in for Italian sweets, made in Fennville, Michigan.

They have an assortment of gourmet cakes, the number one seller being their lemon berry mascarpone. Also in this lineup are a triple chocolate cake, carrot cake and red velvet cake.

"With the ice cream we do all the old favorites. I think we've served three banana splits today," added Hitchcock.

Their super premium ice cream, like their gelato, hails locally from Ludington, Michigan.

"Everything we do we try to do either Michigan local, or import it from Europe," stated Paolucci.

The ingredients aren't the only thing imported from Italy. The colorful lights that hang from the ceiling are Kartell lights from Milan.

"We tried to do an authentic Italian bar. Most of the products in here are from Italy," shared Paolucci.

This rings true all the way through the bathroom, which is entirely covered with Italian marble tiles and moldings. The red mirror, the lights, all Italian.

The Sweet Shop has always been a family business, and it is no different with its new owners.

"The original Italian family had it forever and you know the kids worked there. We had two or three of the grandkids in within the last week…They come all the way here any time they're in the area [from New York and Chicago]."

Paolucci and Hitchcock have adopted twin sons that also work at the café. The hope is to pass the business to them one day.

Paolucci's mother is 97 and asks about the business often.

"The Mediterranean diet has kept her trim and healthy at 97. She looks like she's 70. Takes no medication," shared Paolucci.

"So, the more you eat at the sweet shop the younger you get."

This is advice I just might have to take them up on.

Learn more about Buchanan Sweet Shop - Café Italiano.