This news article will explain what the Westside Sweet Shoppe in Flint, Michigan was. This news article will also explain what happened to Westside Sweet Shoppe.
Westside Sweet Shoppe was a candy store that sold penny candy at the intersection of Dayton Street & Dupont Street in the Civic Park neighborhood of Flint, Michigan. John H White owned and operated Westside Sweet Shoppe for a number of years. He owned a handful of candy stores in Flint. Westside Sweet Shoppe was one of them. This candy shop was located next to Civic Park Bar, Civic Park Cleaners, A & P, Dort Meats, and Da Spot.
The building for Westside Sweet Shoppe was built in 1927 as a brick building with wooden side framing with no basement. The building was zoned as commercial due to being a storefront. (Ref: https://www.realliving.com/commercial-for-lease/2411-DUPONT-Flint-MI-48504-268134134)
The building was originally a Kroger shop from 1930 to 1941. John H White moved his candy store business called Westside Sweet Shoppe here in 1968. Westside Sweet Shoppe operated here from 1968 to 1996. Students from Civic Park School (Civic Park Elementary School) would often skip school and go to Westside Sweet Shoppe. (Ref: Genesee County Clerk/Register internet database)
Westside Sweet Shoppe was known as the old penny candy store on Dupont Street. Westside Sweet Shoppe was unique because they sold penny candy in the front and had a street lottery in the back where gambling activities took place. The candy store was a front for the street lottery.
One day Westside Sweet Shoppe got raided by Flint Police Department and the employees were hauled off to jail. John H White went to jail for operating a gambling site without a license. Activities of illegal gambling had been happening at the store for several years prior to the raid. The raid shut down Westside Sweet Shoppe. The candy store was already shut down by 1996.
A tax lien for the consideration of $1,052,973.34 was filed against John H White and Westside Sweet Shoppe over unpaid taxes in 1996. (Ref: https://geneseecountymi-web.tylerhost.net/web/document/DOCC9938293?search=DOCSEARCH244S1)
John H White and Westside Sweet Shoppe still owed the IRS, City of Flint, and Genesee County in 2001. Much of which still had not been paid. (Ref: https://geneseecountymi-web.tylerhost.net/web/document/DOCC10390942?search=DOCSEARCH244S1)
John H White sold the property and building to Robert Quackenbush on a warranty deed, which was an assignment land contract, for $8,000 dollars in 2007. (Ref: https://geneseecountymi-web.tylerhost.net/web/document/DOCC11183924?search=DOCSEARCH244S1)
Sadly the store burned down in 2008 in an arson incident. In many of the arson cases in Flint, nobody had seen or heard anything. This case of arson was not unusual. This arson case was never solved. Genesee County Land Bank had the buildings along Dayton Street & Dupont Street demolished in July 2009. Nothing of Westside Sweet Shoppe remained by 2011.
According to foreclosure.com, the property where Westside Sweet Shoppe was once located has been foreclosed on twice during the 2010s decade. The property was foreclosed on twice in 2012. Robert Quackenbush was forced to sell the land to Genesee County Land Bank in 2013. Genesee County Land Bank currently owns the land. (Ref: https://www.foreclosure.com/address/2411-Dupont-St-Flint-MI-48504)
Westside Sweet Shoppe was located at 2411 Dupont Street, Flint, Michigan, US 48504.
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