Born on Mackinac Island to Maude Cable and Edward A Franks. Mary learned the art of hand dipping chocolates from her father-in-law Robert Stewart who ran Stewart's Sweet Shop in Pontiac, Michigan. She, her mother, and daughter lived with the elder Stewarts for 5 years while she perfected her trade. She owned and operated Mary Stewart Tea Rooms in Lansing and East Lansing. She was a liberated woman before that was popular. Instead of getting remarried she set out on her own to provide for her little family. Her tea rooms were a great success. To quote her in an article in the paper 1928 "The Candy girl learns to know the man who buys candy solely for a gift, in contrast to the man who expects to eat some himself. If the former, he says 'Give me a box of chocolates'- if the latter, 'Do me up a box of chocolates and put quite a few caramels in it' he requests. If he buys a small sack of sweets each day at the same hour, and puts it in his right coat pocket she knows that this is his dessert and it will never get closer to home than the office stenographer."
In April of 1929 she bought a REO Flying Cloud touring car and took her mother and daughter on a road trip to Florida. She also drove this car to Washington DC for the national convention of the National Association of Retail Confectioners of which she was vice-president. On this trip to Washington she presented President Herbert Hoover with a large box of her hand dipped chocolates.
In April of 1929 she bought a REO Flying Cloud touring car and took her mother and daughter on a road trip to Florida. She also drove this car to Washington DC for the national convention of the National Association of Retail Confectioners of which she was vice-president. On this trip to Washington she presented President Herbert Hoover with a large box of her hand dipped chocolates.
Born on Mackinac Island to Maude Cable and Edward A Franks. Mary learned the art of hand dipping chocolates from her father-in-law Robert Stewart who ran Stewart's Sweet Shop in Pontiac, Michigan. She, her mother, and daughter lived with the elder Stewarts for 5 years while she perfected her trade. She owned and operated Mary Stewart Tea Rooms in Lansing and East Lansing. She was a liberated woman before that was popular. Instead of getting remarried she set out on her own to provide for her little family. Her tea rooms were a great success. To quote her in an article in the paper 1928 "The Candy girl learns to know the man who buys candy solely for a gift, in contrast to the man who expects to eat some himself. If the former, he says 'Give me a box of chocolates'- if the latter, 'Do me up a box of chocolates and put quite a few caramels in it' he requests. If he buys a small sack of sweets each day at the same hour, and puts it in his right coat pocket she knows that this is his dessert and it will never get closer to home than the office stenographer."
In April of 1929 she bought a REO Flying Cloud touring car and took her mother and daughter on a road trip to Florida. She also drove this car to Washington DC for the national convention of the National Association of Retail Confectioners of which she was vice-president. On this trip to Washington she presented President Herbert Hoover with a large box of her hand dipped chocolates.
In April of 1929 she bought a REO Flying Cloud touring car and took her mother and daughter on a road trip to Florida. She also drove this car to Washington DC for the national convention of the National Association of Retail Confectioners of which she was vice-president. On this trip to Washington she presented President Herbert Hoover with a large box of her hand dipped chocolates.
