This is Amy Wagenar from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment.

Do you have a sweet tooth?

If you do, and if you live in or travel to the upper peninsula, you probably know about one of the region's oldest businesses, Sakely's confectionery and gifts in Escanaba.

Joseph Sakely was born in Lebanon in about 1880.

He and his brother George immigrated to North America in 1901.

They worked their way around Canada and the United States as door to door salesmen peddling linens, dry goods, and other merchandise.

They settled in Escanaba in 1902, and in 1906 Joseph opened a shop in town.

There he sold groceries, ice cream, chocolate, and candies.

In 1916, he married Mary Kirkish, a fellow lebanese immigrant whose family had settled in Ishpeming.

Although newspapers would sometimes report that Sicklys used old world recipes for their candies, there is no evidence that their family in Lebanon ever ran a confectionery.

In fact, they made and sold typical american fare, not traditional sweets like baklava.

On April Fool's Day, however, Joseph and Mary would offer samples of a special new candy that would turn out to be chocolate covered garlic or chocolate covered snuff.

To their surprise, a few customers actually liked the bizarre April Fool's Day chocolates and asked for more.

In 1924, Joseph moved his shop and growing family to larger quarters, converting a former livery stable into a shop and an eleven room apartment.

They needed the space.

He and Mary raised a family of nine children.

After Joseph Sakely died in 1943, Mary and her children took over the business.

As the children grew older, they took over more and more of the operation.

In 1959, their eldest son, Fred, separated the production facilities from the retail store.

He bought space for a factory in a warehouse nearby and left his mother with sisters, Josephine and Marge to run the store.

Mary, Josephine, and Marge discontinued the grocery business and started selling gift items instead.

Fred Sakely started selling candy wholesale and by mail order.

Candy output grew from 15,000 pounds to 15,0000 pounds by 1976.

Mary Sakely passed away in 1969, and the second generation of children retired in the 1980s, the third generation of the family took over.

Today, Sakelys Candy still stands as an Escanaba institution.

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