As far as buildings go, 85 Main Street in Flin Flon was not that impressive.
The two-storey structure was faded, narrow and cramped, something of a relic from a time when no one thought Flin Flon would live to see another five years.
But when that building – the former home of Milt’s Sweet Shop and later the Hong Kong Restaurant – was recently reduced to rubble, an eminent part of local history went with it.
Milt’s Sweet Shop, also known as Milt’s Place, was a popular hangout during Flin Flon’s boom era of the 1940s and ’50s. Originally opened in 1935 as Kandy Kitchen, it became Milt’s in 1944.
Billed as “The Sweet Shop of the North,” Milt’s sold comic books, magazines and candy, served up milkshakes, coffee and sandwiches, and earned a sterling reputation for its mouth-watering cinnamon buns.
“It was just sort of the place for you to go whenever you had [money],” recalls Vincent Murphy-Dodds, who grew up in Flin Flon during the Milt’s era. “You could get a lot of volume out of three cents. One Coke bottle [refund] would get you a handful of candy. That was a good thing.”
Murphy-Dodds recalls the ground level of Milt’s housing a counter with chocolate bars and homemade candies, along with a rack of comic books and magazines.
Several steps away, up a short staircase, sat a counter surrounded by stools and small booths. Patrons would plunk change into the nearby jukebox while sipping on soda and shakes.
“After school got out, if you went in there after 4 o’clock, there was a mob of kids upstairs,” says Murphy-Dodds.
But Milt’s wasn’t geared only toward the younger crowd.
“Pretty near all the fellows going back and forth to work stopped there for coffee and sandwiches, and their cinnamon buns were quite a thing,” recalls George Rideout, who frequented Milt’s as a young man in the 1950s.
“It was a pretty popular drop-in spot.”
Rideout, now 87, recalls the atmosphere at Milt’s as “quite friendly.”
He had another reason to like Milt’s: his future wife Iris worked there. Given the competition for jobs at such a popular business, Iris was fortunate to have an in – she was related to owner Milt Young.
David Milton Young, as he was formally known, was a gracious man with thick dark hair and a trim build. Like most men of his day, he smoked cigarettes and liked to have a drink once in a while.
Young came from the school of entrepreneurism that emphasized hard work and putting the customer first. In addition to Milt’s Sweet Shop, he ran a soft drink bottler and distributor called Northland Beverages.
“He was very cordial,” says Murphy-Dodds. “He was a pretty high-energy guy, very cordial and very supportive of the community. He did a lot of good community work.”
Young and his business still hold a special place in the hearts of many past and present Flin Flonners. That was apparent in 2016 when a photo of Young was added to the Flin Flon Heritage Project Facebook page.
“They made and sold the best cinnamon buns in the world,” reads one of the nostalgic comments.
“Oh Ya the buns and shoestring licorice,” reads another.
“I used to buy the big red bubble gums,” adds yet another.
Local musician Mark Kolt did not live in
Flin Flon during the Milt’s era, but he certainly appreciated the shop’s historical relevance.
When Kolt wrote the local musical Bombertownin 1999, he included a song celebrating Milt’s Sweet Shop, referred to as “Milt’s Malt Shop” because it more easily rolled off the tongue.
“The name and the description of it as a teen hangout struck me as being appropriate for inclusion in Bombertown. It fit the concept very, very well,” says Kolt, whose musical told the story of the 1957 Memorial Cup champion Flin Flon Bombers.
For Kolt, Milt’s also captured an innocent fun he associates with the old Archie comic books. His song touted Milt’s as “where you want to be” and “where you want to go.”
Hong Kong
When the Milt’s era was over – the early 1970s, according to city records – the building was transformed into what would become another iconic business: the Hong Kong Restaurant.
Between its mirrored walls and loud cha-ching-style cash register, the Hong Kong established a character unto itself. Many a local teenager landed their first job at the restaurant.
The Hong Kong welcomed a diverse clientele with a wide-ranging menu that included tasty Chinese fare and more western-oriented dishes.
Reviews of the restaurant are still accessible online, speaking to how beloved the Main Street institution was.
“It’s traditional Chinese food with a little western spin, always flavorful,” reads one review on the Trip Advisor Canada website.
“It’s a quaint, little mom & pop joint, all the way,” reads another.
The interior of the Hong Kong was still recognizable as Milt’s, divided into upper and lower levels by a staircase. The low ceiling above the staircase was padded, lest a vertically gifted customer hit his head.
Murphy-Dodds had left Flin Flon by the time the Hong Kong opened, but he would stop by the restaurant with old friends whenever he was back in town.
“It didn’t have the same setup, but it was essentially the same building,” says Murphy-Dodds, who now lives in Regina.
“That famous staircase. Think about the hundreds of kids and teenagers that trod up those steps, and the other people, too. I mean, it was very popular through all the generations, for sure.”
The Hong Kong’s legions of loyal customers bid a reluctant farewell to the restaurant upon its March 30, 2013 closure.
After the Hong Kong shut down, the writing was on the wall for the building. In November 2013, the city was forced to cut off water to the facility after leakage was observed from the property.
The former Hong Kong went up for tax sale in February 2017. No bids were placed, which wasn’t surprising considering the building was subject to a municipal demolition order.
Crews tore down the Hong Kong in late March, leaving a literal and figurative hole in the heart of uptown Flin Flon.
“A lot of memories went with it,” says Rideout, who was also a Hong Kong customer.
“It’s the end of an era alright.”
