2/3/10 Sweet Valentine's treats in bulk on The Counter Project

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I think I’ve fallen in love. No, not with a new guy, but with a store that sells candy by the scoopful: Bulk Food in Westborn Mall.

I guess I’ve always been aware that Bulk Food existed in Westborn, but I never really thought it had anything to offer a young lady such as myself. I never really gave it much thought, period.

This week, however, I was driving past Westborn on Michigan Avenue and saw a sign calling out to me to buy Valentine’s Day candy at Bulk Food.

What? Candy? In Bulk? How could I have completely overlooked this gem for so long? So I took the time this week to check out Bulk Food and see what sort of goodies they had to offer.

First, they have tons of chocolate, much of it on sale for Valentine’s Day:

Sanders Brand candies are 49-cents each, or $11.99 a pound.
Dark chocolate-covered peanuts and dark chocolate malt balls are on sale for $3.99 a pound.
Regular Hershey’s Kisses are $3.99 a pound, the dark chocolate variety are $4.99 a pound, and Hershey’s Kisses Cherry Cordials are $5.99 a pound.
Milk chocolate hearts—either plain, with peanut butter, cookies and cream or dark chocolate—are $3.99 a pound.

Then there are a number of other Valentine’s Day sweets, plus specially-decorated little Chinese take-out-style boxes for filling with treats and giving as gifts:

Heart-shaped Valentine’s cookie with pink sugar are $4.99 a pound.
Valentine’s Peeps are a low as 69-cents a box.

And then, they have bins upon bins of candy for everyday enjoyment as well, which basically ensures that I’ll be heading back here every month for the rest of my life:

A variety of gummies for $3.29 a pound.
Andes mints for $4.99 a pound.
Eleven varieties of licorice twists—including peach, cinnamon, root beer and chocolate, as well as traditional red and black—for only $2.99 a pound.
Twenty-four varieties of Jelly Bellies, for $6.99 a pound, that you can mix to your heart’s content.

But even beyond the smorgasbord of candy, this place has a huge variety of spices, herbs, legumes, grains, rice, and other culinary treats and staples. And most of the stuff is just how you would expect it to be at a bulk food store: gloriously displayed in big bins, with an accompanying scoop, and clear plastic bags just waiting for you to fill them (or not fill them, as the case may be: sometimes you just want a little bit of a certain spice, but don’t want to buy a big expensive container. At Bulk Food, you can buy a half-ounce or quarter-ounce of whatever you need to complete your recipe—no waste!) So now that Bulk Food has drawn me in with the sweet dessert, I imagine I’ll be heading back to them for the main meal as well.

Fate brought us together, love (and candy) will keep us together.

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Member Opinions:

By: SpecialK on 2/5/10
I love Bulk Foods & wish we had one in Farmington. When I lived in the little D & was trying to quit smoking (the first time) I went to Bulk Food & loaded up on sugar free hard candy & it really helped plus didn't have all the fat or rot my teeth like regular candy. They actually have many many bins of sugar free candy so I totally suggest this place for your favorite diabetic!

By: Benji on 2/5/10
I haven't been to this place since I was a kid and used to go there after school to buy gummy worms and bears and gummy Cokes! I should go back and re-live my youth!

By: arabianchix on 2/6/10
I love Bulk Food. I agree they are a great place to buy spices for cooking. It's a great way to test if you actually like a new spice before having to buy a big container of it. This way if you don't like the spice, you only have to throw away a half ounce instead of a big bottle of it.

By: Ant on 2/8/10
Well this just sounds too good to be true. I think this week I will be checking out this glorious haven of candy bins and scoops.

By: cocoapuffs on 2/9/10
It's well worth stopping in for. Lots of 'old candies' that you just don't see around anymore.

By: Violet on 2/11/10
I visit bulk foods almost weekly, but never for the candy! They have tons of beans, rices, spices, nuts and snacks! YUM!

By: Apple78 on 2/15/10
Bulk candy is always good.

By: GNU on 2/19/10
I've been going there for years to get stuff cheap. The best part about it is you don't have to get the stuf in "Bulk." You can get very small amounts of it to try it out or not spend much money.

By: Apple78 on 2/24/10
So I went to Bulk Food this week, and let me say it's all they've said and more! Highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone.....

By: Samira on 3/1/10
I love Bulk! I haven't been there in a few months though. I haven't needed anything, but I've been wantng to get some yeast to make some bread, so maybe I'l be heading there soon!

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