Mary Saunders was 13 when her dream began.

She went to a school dance with a young lad who decided to take her out for a shake afterward in Auburn. What Mary didn’t know was that the boy didn’t have enough money for two shakes, so the pair decided on one with two straws from the now-defunct Poolis’.

Fast forward to 2012, and Saunders and her husband Craig are successful business owners in and around the village of Elbridge. Proprietors of Mac’s Family Restaurant the past five years, the couple has delved into a new realm just down the road with Main Street Delights, a coffee, candy and lunch shop with the charm of a small diner. It opened Jan. 2.

“I’ve learned over the years that to be successful you need to be clean, consistent, friendly, but you need to like your job,” Mary said. “I love people. I feel the need to please everyone above and beyond.”

In a nutshell, that’s why Main Street Delights was opened at 110 Main Street in the red, barn-like historical building. Built in 1835, the structure has been home to Nathan Munro’s Tin Shop, Elbridge Glove and Mitten, Harrington’s Drug Store, Red and White Store and a United States Post Office.

From the outside, it looks like a typical old-time building, but when you walk inside you are greeted with warmth, smiles and pure friendliness, things the couple has learned in their 32 years in the food industry. Among the five places they have operated, the Saunders have owned Cam’s Diner and Deli in Skaneateles and Mary’s Place in Skaneateles Falls. That accrued knowledge has proven vital.

“It’s the customers who make you or break you,” Craig said. “They’re the boss.”

Main Street Delights is the definition of a family run business, as one of the Saunders’ son-in-laws, Peter Dietzman, manages the store. Mary said she has five daughters, and that she’d prefer to keep her businesses in-house, yet she is very much against selling her babies, as she calls them. When she decided to close Mary’s Place, she said she had offers to sell it, but opted instead to turn the building into four apartments that she still rents out.

“I don’t part with things easily,” she said. “I’ve sold some things before, then cried for days wondering if I shouldn’t have sold it.”

Deitzman’s staff are as friendly as the owners themselves. Sheri Pollock and Yvonne Showers handle a lot of the baking duties, all of which happen on-site. Along with baked goods, which include pies, muffins and cakes, the spot has an old-fashioned soda fountain and eight different flavors of ice cream, making for many combinations of the traditional root beer float.

They also have a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Dietzman said the most popular sandwiches so far are the ciabattas, a chicken ranch and an Italian one.

“They’re nicely sized,” he said. “And they’re not very expensive.”

Mary interjected the conversation to explain her thoughts behind the prices. Salads range from just under $3 up to $7.99, while sandwiches are between $6 and 7. The prices are similar to Mac’s, but Mary is quick to note the fare is completely different.

“Would I like to charge more? Yes, but I understand that not everyone can afford expensive things in times like this,” she said. “We want everyone — here and at Mac’s — to feel like family when they come in. I’m not in it to get rich, but to make everyone who comes through the door happy. That’s how we run ‘em.”

To personalize service, Dietzman said, customers’ names and order preferences are put into the computer. He said it allows for a more friendly atmosphere while giving the shop feedback without bugging patrons.

The inside decor doesn’t forget the building’s past, most notably the five pictures from when it was the Red and White.

When asked what separates Main Street Delights from any other family business, Craig is quick with an anecdote after explaining that candy cost about a penny when he was a young boy.

“A little girl came in here the day we opened and she had just a dollar but wanted some candy,” he said of the Gertrude Hawk chocolates that cost $14.99 per pound. “These days, that’s not enough to buy a Hershey bar, but we sent her on her way with four or five pieces.”

Neil Benjamin Jr. is a reporter/editor with Eagle Newspapers. He can be reached at [email protected]