MeMe's Candy & Cards Owner's Love Of Candy Began During Childhood Spent In Hospitals

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia at the age of 3, Nick Lynch spent much of his childhood in hospitals. There, he found solace in the places most kids find solace: video games, movies and candy. Lynch's self-proclaimed "obsession" with candy led him to create MeMe's Candy & Cards, a sweets shop that opened in downtown Downers Grove at the end of January.

"The inspiration comes from awakening that inner child that everyone has deep down inside of them and letting it be okay to be a kid at all times," Lynch told Patch. "I am soon to be 28 years old and still act like the biggest kid in the world."

Located at 4927 Main St., MeMe's Candy & Cards evokes the atmosphere of an old-fashioned candy store. The store is filled with glass jars brimming with colorful treats in different shapes and sizes. There are Zagnuts, Charleston Chews and Candy Buttons. You'll also find giant gummy worms, cotton candy, suckers and other creative confections.

"I wanted to cater to everyone and have a variety of everything , as I believe being different is the perfect way to be in life," Lynch said.

Just as the inspiration to open a candy store is rooted in Lynch's childhood, so is the inspiration for the name of MeMe's Candy & Cards.

Lynch said the store is named after the "most influential person and most loved person" in his life, his beloved grandmother, MeMe, who died at the age of 60 when he was just 15 years old.

"She and I shared a love of candy, but mainly Willy Wonka, which is why a lot of inspiration for the store comes from the original Gene Wilder 'Willy Wonka' movie."

He added, "She always taught me to be kind to everyone and always have a smile on your face, no matter what you’re doing."

Among the shop's whimsical black-and-white striped walls and handwritten chalk signs, is a photo of Lynch and MeMe, both of them beaming at the camera with huge smiles on their faces.

Lynch told Patch he chose Downers Grove as the spot to open MeMe's Candy & Cards because he "believed an amazing town like Downers Grove was missing one thing: a candy store."

His girlfriend, Giana Lauren, owns Giana Lauren Lashes, Brows & Beauty on Curtiss Street, so Lynch said he became aware that residents were driving outside the village to get their candy fix.

"I wanted to make the ease factor there for this amazing town and to make every person that walks into my store have a smile on their face!"

Lynch's hope is that customers will "experience what it was like back in the day to walk into a candy store just like their parents."

"I want everyone to feel welcomed and happy when stepping into my store and truly feel joyful and like a kid again!"

MeMe's Candy & Cards is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come spring and summer, keep an eye out for updates on the store's hours.