Where does a DeWitt Thanksgiving pie come from when the window at 108 North Bridge Street is dark? This year that's an open question. And it's one of two changes on the same few blocks that will make this the last holiday season with downtown's current lineup of shops.
Sweetie-licious Bakery Café has been closed since a fire on October 4. Twisted Craft Cocktails, around the corner on Main Street, closes for good on December 31. That leaves two Saturdays this month and next when the rest of downtown is putting on a show: Small Business Saturday on November 28 and the 20th Annual Downtown DeWitt Christmas Market on December 5. After those, January comes with one more empty storefront.
The pie shop that won't be baking this Thanksgiving
The fire started early on a Sunday morning, when the bakery was closed. WLNS reported that a passing driver saw flames inside around 5:30 a.m. and flagged down a DeWitt police officer on patrol. The officer called it in, used a fire extinguisher and got two residents out of the apartments upstairs. Crews from DeWitt Area Fire and Rescue, the DeWitt Township Fire Department and the Bath Township Fire Department found an active fire. It had spread from the front of the shop into the ceiling structure. DeWitt Police Chief Bryan Curtis told WLNS the fast response mattered "due to the location of the business in downtown DeWitt and the potential for the fire to spread to adjacent businesses and apartments."
Within a week, the bakery shared the news pie people had been dreading. Smoke damage meant the restoration would take longer than hoped, and opening for Thanksgiving was off the table. Owner Linda Hundt started Sweetie-licious as a home business in 2002 before moving it onto Bridge Street. She and her daughter, Ellie Sutherland, have signed the bakery's posts since the fire. Other food businesses offered their kitchens. The owners said they were already too far behind on the pre-pie work, from licensing to testing unfamiliar ovens to building a crust supply, to make a rented kitchen work in time. As WLNS reported on October 16, the bakery's own update put it this way:
"If we cannot physically place a pie on your table this holiday we will find another way to bring joy and special memories to your homes."
That other way is going online. The bakery has said it plans online pie demos, baking e-books and Year of Pie subscriptions. A more recent post on the Sweetie-licious website adds a merch fundraiser and a timeline update to that list. It says "progress is being made" and directs questions to [email protected]. So if your family's Thanksgiving depends on a particular pie, a demo from the people who usually bake it may be the closest you get this year. The DDA business directory still shows the bakery's regular hours, but those don't apply while the shop is closed.
The Main Street shop closing December 31
The second change has a firm date. In the DeWitt DDA's September 2026 board packet, the director's downtown business update says Nicolette Skerratt has announced that Twisted Craft Cocktails and its retail gift shop will close on December 31, 2026. The packet notes nearly six years in downtown DeWitt, support for local charities, schools and fundraisers, and a product line that grew into more than 350 stores nationwide.
The shop at 126 E. Main St. sells cocktail infusion jars and instant cocktail mixes, plus beer, wine and spirits to go, and gift items. It was also one of the first downtown businesses to speak up for its neighbor. The day after the fire, WILX talked with Skerratt, who had bought quiche at Sweetie-licious the day before. She spoke about what it means when a small business and its employees are suddenly out of work.
Put the two changes together and the math is simple. If a Twisted Craft infusion jar has been your go-to hostess gift, this holiday season is your last chance to buy one in a downtown DeWitt store.
November 28: the Saturday the whole downtown shows up for
The DDA has a Small Business Saturday page for Saturday, November 28, 2026, with offers from nearly two dozen downtown businesses. Several list specific hours, so you can plan the day by the clock:
- 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Freshies Bakery, 103 S. Bridge St. It's the downtown bakery still baking this season, using local organic and naturally grown grains for artisan sourdough and other baked goods. Spend $25 in the store and you get $5 off your next purchase.
- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dwelling Coffee. Mention the DDA promotion for $2 off your order.
- 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Twisted Craft Cocktails, 126 E. Main St. Make a purchase in that window and you can enter the "Share the Cheer Giveaway" with a friend's name for a chance that you both win $100 in Twisted Craft products. This is the shop's last Small Business Saturday.
- Noon to 9 p.m., Looking Glass Brewing Co., 115 N. Bridge St. A one-day "Shop Small. Sip Local" offer: 20% off for club members and 10% off for everyone else.
- All day, Bridge Street Social, 107 S. Bridge St. Happy hour runs from open to close.
Two other offers are worth knowing about well before the 28th, because they involve your Thanksgiving table and your January.
Bellingar Specialty Meats is taking pre-orders for standard and custom holiday roasts from its butchers. You'd want that order in early, not on the day of the sale.
Clock & Corbel, the home decor shop at 110 S. Bridge St., Unit 1B, is holding a Holiday Open House with treats. You'll earn $5 in Clock & Corbel Cash for every $25 you spend, up to $20, and you can use it from January 5 through 31. That credit gives you a reason to come back downtown in the first weeks after Twisted Craft closes.
The rest of the list covers a full Saturday. Bridge + Main Market at 119 N. Bridge St. has artisan gift bundles of local goods, and next door the Bridge + Main Plant Studio at 125 N. Bridge St. has 20% off indoor plants. Relli's Italian Restaurant at 202 E. Main St. has family meal deals. Loft 126 has winter wardrobe offers, and Bridge Street Hair Co. at 102 N. Bridge St. has discounts on its products. Scoopy Doo's is advertising custom ice cream cakes and warm winter treats. Wag'n Tails has holiday cookies and grooming deals for the dog. And Downtown Tavern is booking holiday party tables with a special event menu.
December 5: the Christmas Market turns 20
One week later, the DDA hosts the 20th Annual Downtown DeWitt Christmas Market on Saturday, December 5, 2026. The Downtown DeWitt Light Parade runs as part of the market. Capital Steel & Wire is bringing back its annual Santa & Reindeer Run, and the DDA says registration will open soon.
For reference, WKAR listed last year's 19th annual market on December 6, 2025, from 2 to 6:30 p.m. A 2025 event listing put that year's parade at 5:30 p.m. The DDA's Christmas Market page is where to check this year's schedule. It also links a market map.
If you'd rather be in the parade than on the curb, there's a deadline. The DDA wants Light Parade applications back by email by November 21, 2026. The same page has a 2026 application for vendors and kids' activity hosts. Every application is reviewed, and the DDA notifies the people it selects. Questions go to [email protected].
Dates for the fridge
- Now: Order a holiday roast from Bellingar Specialty Meats, and watch the Sweetie-licious site for its online pie demos and subscriptions.
- Saturday, November 21: Light Parade applications are due to the DDA.
- Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving. Sweetie-licious has said it won't be open in time.
- Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday downtown, starting with Freshies at 8 a.m. and wrapping up at Looking Glass by 9 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5: The 20th Annual Downtown DeWitt Christmas Market and Light Parade.
- Thursday, December 31: Twisted Craft Cocktails closes.
- January 5 to 31: Spend your Clock & Corbel Cash.
If watching the Light Parade from a block away has you wondering what your own place on this side of DeWitt is worth, Advantage In Team can give you a number before the parade lineup is set. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, then come downtown for some sourdough on the 28th.