Sweet Jenny’s A Vital WNY Family Tradition

“We take pride in serving the community. Our shops are family owned and exist for families. No matter what family looks like to you, we are here for you.” -Howard Cadmus     Co-Owner of Sweet Jenny’s.

Sweet Jenny’s is a staple in Western New York for several reasons. It was once a water mill built in 1811 and created several materials for the historic Williamsville community at that time. As the centuries and needs of society changed, so did the building.  In 1985, Sweet Jenny’s was established as an ice cream and delectable candy shop by a local family.  At the end of 2010, Howard and Tara Cadmus took up the mantle and legally purchased Sweet Jenny’s to continue to deliver that sweet goodness that WNY loves.  

As the historic building is 213 years old this year, the unique designs inside allows you to enter the world of history of craftsmanship of the past and present. In fact, you can watch how they create the mouth watering magic of the most excellent ice cream flavors and chocolates. It is like stepping into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory minus all the singing and dancing. You can hear the music of the place with the laughter,  joyous chatter of the endless crowds and cheerful staff welcoming you in. The sound of family is what makes this business run with joy. 

Sweet Jenny’s continues that family tradition of including not only their own family members in creating wonderfully delights, but they have the community working with them. Sweet Jenny’s has recently hired a few teenagers whose dream was to work in the shop since they were children. That’s dedication! Working there will allow them to learn not only the inner workings of creating delicious treats, but also ethics, and working for their community. The Cadmus family treats everyone from employees to their customers as family. 

One of the most rewarding things that Howard and Tara get to do is spend quality time with their sons but also teach them about the family business and valuable knowledge about treating every person with compassion and human dignity.

“Spending time with them is the most important lesson of life. It’s about how you treat people and conduct business. How to prioritize things in your life. Keep what matters most in front of you. The experience is what you make of it. It is not about the money. If you do something you enjoy, it is rewarding.”

They impart their knowledge to their sons to be hard workers, be passionate about their craft and mold their input to help create not only for their community, but for life. That is something that I have noticed about Sweet Jenny’s as a whole. They value their community by philanthropy work but also allowing the community for their input. 

As simple as asking via social media to their customers what ice cream flavors they should have for the summer season, to collaborations with other charities.  Recently, they collaborated with Trey Young who is known to give out free hugs to people in WNY who really need it. You will find him wearing a Free Hugs t-shirt, and because of this collaboration, Sweet Jenny’s asked the community what they should name their newest creation, and thus “Free Hugs Guy-Hearts and Hugs” was born. This ice cream flavor is a combination of vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirled with a delicious mix of chopped up Hershey Kisses. The proceeds will go to Young’s Youth Department RPM (Real Power Moves).  This input from the community truly shows how much Sweet Jenny’s values community input because the community is family . 

Sweet Jenny’s will advertise their newest products and sometimes provide quirky or hilarious posts along with it. I love how they interact with their community via social media and at times I am caught off guard with their thought provoking or sweet posts. Several times, what is posted is what I certainly needed to hear on that day. I have never seen such profound kindness in a business before. They truly are not traditional and it works like magic to spread joy. 

That human connection to give back to others has spanned for years at Sweet Jenny’s such as every month they give gift certificates to charities. They have raised and donated money to charities such as those with learning disabilities, 716 Paws and Molly Vibes. Molly’s Vibes is an ice cream flavor named after Molly, a girl who had a brain tumor. Molly helped create the irresistible chocolate peanut butter ice cream flavor. All proceeds will go to Oishei Children’s Hospital at the request of Molly as she thinks of others first. Molly had a successful surgery.  

Sweets are not the only things that you will find at Sweet Jenny’s. Head upstairs to the second floor to the 1811 Comic Shop. You and your children will be enthralled by the amount of comics, vintage arcade games and toys, and board games, to view and purchase. Creating this extra world upstairs gives an exciting experience for every age. 

Much to the delight of adults and their children, celebrities come for autograph signings but also to interact with the community. 1811 Comics has hosted retired WWE superstars such as Jake the Snake, Jim Duggan and Brutus the Barber Beefcake. They have included comedians from the Helium Comedy Club such as Steve-O, and Hannah Berner. Of course, you can’t have a comic shop without comic artists such as Ken Lashley and David Finch. 

I can’t talk about Sweet Jenny’s without explaining the reasons why summers have long lines going out the door and down the street without talking about their fabulous creations! They have over 30 main flavors of ice cream from staple flavors like chocolate and vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter to Cheesecake,  and M & M. They even created  some interesting names; Worms in Dirt, WildCat, and Monkey Business. All of their ice cream are gluten free, except for some which are labeled. They even offer vegan flavors. Just let them know you have an allergy. There is something for everyone and in today’s world with so many allergies and restrictions, dietary inclusions are of utmost importance. I should know.

In fact, I may be biased, but once I had their ice cream, I can’t be satisfied with any others. I used to be a diehard Perry’s or Dairy Queen fan. Their ice cream is nothing compared to Sweet Jenny’s. Every morsel of the Reese’s Pieces was divine. However, I was pleasantly taken aback with the butterscotch. I never thought anything could outmatch Dairy Queen’s that I grew up with. I now know better. Each flavor was rich and creamy with just the right amount of sugar and flavor that will leave your craving for more.

Their chocolates seem to be in endless supplies. I sampled the gluten free chocolate covered Oreos and pretzel rods. There are no words to describe how excellent these were. I was not disappointed. Every staff member takes pride and passion in creating and you can tell with every intricate design how much love is put into their work. This explains why there is such a massive amount of high quality chocolates. There are hundreds of chocolates such as French Silks, chocolate covered almonds or chocolates infused with Jack Daniels. Pick up an ice cream pie or an ice cream cake or two!

Depending on the time of the year or events, some of the best selling candies would be molded candies for Easter, boxed candy for Mother’s Day or the  WNY staple sponge candy at Christmas. The holidays always draw in the crowds and in summer the long lines are for ice cream. You would think that you are in a chocolate heaven. No, just the sensational and memorable Sweet Jenny’s. 

Since Sweet Jenny’s is located in a historic building, they have the best location to draw in customers due to the vibrant Main Street community in Williamsville; but also the extra advantage of the beautiful Glen Falls Park. People will come for miles just to celebrate an occasion, show up one to three times a week or just for no reason at all. But one of the most important things is that Sweet Jenny’s treats people like family. In times like these, we need that strong human connection to bond to. 

Come down to Sweet Jenny’s located at 56 East Spring Street and bring your friends and family. When you leave, you know you will return not just for the irresistible treats, rich history, but because you know you belong here, you are home because you are family. 

To view or order the high quality and flavorful works of Sweet Jenny’s go on their website. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Check out my photos below from my awesome time exploring this one of a kind, and vital shop to WNY.