Some occasions call for extraordinary treats – birthdays, holidays, weddings, teacher gifts, anniversaries, and writing about visiting a great local sweets shop.

OK, I made up the last one, but it will be tough to resist a quick cookie run to Mel's Sweet Treats ASAP after telling you about this adorable neighborhood bakery in Decatur, Alabama.

Mel’s is a family-run business known for lavish cookie concoctions and countless other creative confections. While it’s been around for 21 years, the summer of 2024 marked a new milestone for shop owner and baker Melissa DeLawrence Cook, who reopened in a new location within the city’s Albany Historic District neighborhood. To be accurate, it's a new old location, with the building dating to 1927 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its previous lives include a market and a handful of restaurants over the past two decades. 

I’d been into the previous location to buy holiday-gift goodies like chocolate-covered potato chips and decadent tiger butter bark studded with peanut butter cups. During the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic, I stopped in the new Mel’s for a few of her pretty hot-air balloon cookies for a guest gift. You’ll also find a big selection of different freeze-dried candies, candy kebabs, and more.

Dozens upon dozens of cookie varieties fill the cases, from original chocolate chip and Snickerdoodle to cheesecake-stuffed Golden Girl cookies topped with golden Oreo crumbs. While the selection varies by the day and, sometimes, the time of day, it’s hard to imagine you won’t find at least one treat you’ll enjoy. 

While the sweet spot is only three blocks east of the city’s busy Sixth Avenue corridor and five blocks east of Downtown Decatur’s Second Avenue retail district, it feels like a cozy neighborhood bakery with only homes surrounding it. If you want to see some of the city’s loveliest historic houses, it makes a perfect stop on a stroll through the Albany District. I usually start at the beautiful Delano Park, where there’s usually parking along Eighth Avenue between the rose garden and the Riverwild Playground and splash pad. By all means, check out Delano Park, especially if you haven’t before. 

From there, enjoy the tree-lined sidewalks as you walk north for three blocks on Eighth Avenue before taking a right on Grant and going two blocks east to reach Mel’s. 

If you have the time, detour up and down any of these streets along the way to see Victorian and Craftsman-style homes, many with elaborate gardens and lovely landscaping to frame the architecture. While many of the homes go back for generations, it feels like there’s always something new to see, depending on the time of year. In the springtime, it’s flowers, then spectacular foliage in the fall. Many residents go all out creating fall displays, and people come from all around the region to see the holiday light displays in this district and the Old Decatur Historic District just to the northwest. While sometimes it’s just too hot around here in the summer for a pleasant walk, at least there’s a water cooler outside for your pup! (No dogs inside, please, although they’re allowed on the patio along the side of the building).


Whether it’s too warm out or you’re pressed for time, you can always park on the street near the shop; just be mindful not to block the driveways of nearby neighbors. I usually find a spot within reasonable walking distance, although you should have seen it on the day of the new location’s grand opening! I circled by again later in the afternoon and made it just in time to be gifted the very last cookie, which was one good-sized square of a mini cookie cake topped with frosting. On a recent trip, I tried the Doubletree cookie.

You can keep up with what's rolling out into the cookie cases and the shop's eclectic mix of cabinets by following Mel's Sweet Treats on Facebook. She's always coming up with new things and sharing the cookies to catch each day ... and "secret" items like the Tiramisu cookies. When they have them, you have to ask because they keep them chilled in the back.

You should also plan at least an overnighter to see all of the new things happening in downtown Decatur and beyond. If you're looking for tips on where to stay, I've heard great things about the new Fairfield Inn & Suites Decatur that opened in the heart of downtown earlier in 2024.