Monday, July 26, 2021

Reliving memories of Westside Sweet Shoppe in Flint, Michigan again.

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. (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 1981. 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. The raid shut down Westside Sweet Shoppe. The candy store was already shut down by 1988.


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. (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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