Doc Sweets Candy Company

Doc Sweets Candy Company

by | Aug 17, 2023 | Clawson, LBN Food

Project manager turned candy connoisseur Dave Sklena sat down with Local Business News to discuss his 15-year-old business. A 2008 layoff led Sklena to open the downtown Clawson candy company, and it’s grown in popularity since. For years, Sklena’s young son had no idea his dad owned a candy shop. Sklena told him he was a farmer. Now the 7-year-old enjoys working with his dad at the 4,000-square-foot shop where you can get anything you loved as a kid, plus new items like freeze-dried gummy worms.

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We’re happy that after so many years, we can bring our family recipe, to yours. Our products are all-natural, gluten-free (pickles, relish, bloody mary, all-natural chips, brine), and kosher certified (Michigan Kosher Supervisors, OU).

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Chill Treats Get Hot Reception At Clawson Ice Cream Shop

Chill Treats Get Hot Reception At Clawson Ice Cream Shop

by | Jan 22, 2020 | Clawson, Froze Creamery, LBN Community Series

Chill Treats Get Hot Reception at Clawson Ice Cream Shop

22

JANUARY 2020

BY TIM SMITH

LBN Community Series

Clawson

Froze Creamery owner Cynthia Haddad has no qualms about opening up her Clawson ice cream shop in the middle of winter.

She and her husband, John Haddad, are banking on the notion that if they “roll it” people will come.

And so far, their unique offering of made-to-order rolled ice cream is garnering raves and repeat customers just a couple weeks after they opened the doors at 230 South Main. The actual grand opening will be Saturday, February 1, after a month or so of getting the place up and running.

CYNTHIA HADDAD

CYNTHIA HADDAD

OWNER & CEO, FROZE CREAMERY

“People have been waiting, they’ve been waiting,” Cynthia Haddad said. “The first day we opened we were slammed. And none of the employees showed up; it was just me and my husband.”

Just weeks into their new venture, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and word-of-mouth are paying dividends. On tables are wooden signs with the handle #FrozeCreamery. So far there are more than 600 likes on Facebook.

“That always helps anyone build their business, the social media,” Haddad said. “It’s always from family and friends that people come in here and try the ice cream. If I didn’t have that, I don’t know.

“Clawson’s a pretty tight community though. A lot of people are always around here. They needed a new ice cream place that was open all year ’round. … A lot of people, I’m telling you, are already obsessed with some flavors.”

Haddad said it was coincidental that she and her husband opened their business next to the seasonal Dairy O (which remains closed until spring). But she welcomes the chance to give customers an ice cream option.

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“He has nothing like what we have. Ours is completely different,” she said.

Rolled ice cream is the main attraction. But Haddad will provide novelties such as Dragon Breath and Snow Ice along with bubble tea.

“Nobody has the Dragon Breath around here,” Haddad said. “They’re like cereal puffballs that we soak in liquid nitrogen and when the customer eats them it blows out smoke.

“It is popular (with kids) and with adults ­— you’d be surprised. And then the Snow Ice is a special mix that we make.”

Haddad said it was her dream to open a newfangled ice cream shop. Now that it is a reality, she plans on working long hours (not to mention commuting from Canton) to make it a successful one.

The detail and décor underscore how much the business means to the Haddads.

When customers walk in, they see the colorful Froze Creamery logo painted on a wall behind an enticing display of dessert toppings.

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After choosing from a menu — with options such as Fruity Pebbles, Caramel Pretzel, Matcha Lady and more —  they can watch Haddad go to work on their ice cream order.

“We’re getting a lot of feedback that customers are really enjoying the fresh flavor, not like freezer-burnt ice cream,” Haddad said. “And they’re really enjoying watching us make it.”

Among repeat patrons is Clawson’s Melissa Liford, who recently made her second trip to Froze along with 13-year-old daughter Evie.

“It’s good, very good,” said Liford, who discovered Froze on Clawson’s community Facebook page. “It’s a different texture than the soft-serve, and you get to add the flavors that you’d like. They have the menu that you can choose from and you also can make your own flavors.”

 

Having tried the Birthday Cake offering her first visit, she opted for Morning Toast her second time there. Morning Toast combined elements of French toast and cinnamon toast.

Evie chose Strawberry Chocolate. “It’s really good, it’s just something different and something new,” she said.

Watching Haddad create their rolled treats added to the experience. After pouring vanilla base onto a circular cold plate, she added all the ingredients and mashed them together before spreading the mix as flat as a pancake.

 

From there, Haddad pushed a spatula forward in the same way a house painter might scrape old paint.

With each scrape of the plate, circular tubes of ice cream are created. They are then dropped into paper cups or (very popular) waffle “taco” shells, and customers tell her which toppings to add to personalize their choice.

“The base that we use, we get it specially made,” Haddad said. “We put that down on that cold plate machine we have. Then we mix in the toppings and spread it out flat, and then we roll it.

She can also take care of vegan customers by using a specially made coconut-water base.

Plans call for eventually serving food (chicken wings, cheese sticks) at the shop, and expanding to add more of the 24-inch diameter cold plates. That would allow more employees to work on the rolled ice cream orders as business increases.

For those who can’t make it to Froze Creamery, Haddad intends to take a portable cold plate on the road to elementary schools and birthday parties.

The personal touch is quickly reaping benefits for the new business.

“During the day, they (women customers) brought their kids in and at night they brought their husbands,” said Haddad, smiling.

The hours at Froze Creamery are 2-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2-10 p.m. Friday, 12-10 p.m. Saturday and 2-8 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

230 South Main Street
Clawson, Michigan 48017
248.307.7147

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Nostalgia Draws Customers to Clawson’s Scoop Vintage

Nostalgia Draws Customers to Clawson’s Scoop Vintage

by | Dec 6, 2019 | Clawson, LBN Community Series, Scoop Vintage

Nostalgia Draws Customers to Clawson’s Scoop Vintage

06

DECEMBER 2019

BY TIM SMITH

LBN Community Series

Clawson

Here’s the scoop on downtown Clawson’s Scoop Vintage: It’s a nostalgic place where an array of items from bygone eras can easily hook customers.

In the case of Birmingham’s Kim Simon and her mom, Leslie Darga of Royal Oak, they were so impressed with what they saw in the 1,000 square-foot store on 14 Mile that they left with $100 worth of purchases and intended to tell friends and family members about it.

“It’s well organized. Everything’s laid out nicely,” Simon said. “It’s not too overpacked. Some (stores) are too big and overpacked.”

KEVIN HAYES

OWNER, SCOOP VINTAGE

According to Kevin Hayes, who owns Scoop Vintage with his wife, Margo Kendzier, that reaction validates their vision for the business, which opened in November 2018.

“We opened up one year ago to kind of do our little idea of a nice, cozy vintage antiques store,” Hayes said. “Heavy emphasis on quality products in good-to-excellent condition, items that you don’t necessarily see every day, from the 1700s to the 1990s.”

Feedback since doors opened has been extremely positive.

“We do a lot of research on what we bring in, to sell it at market value and offer good value to people,” Hayes said. “We pride ourselves on finding things you don’t see every day.”

Essential to their mission is making sure the items they put on the sales floor meet their scrutiny, Hayes said.

“We try to bring in stuff we like,” he said. “A lot of thought goes into what we purchase. Some antique stores bring in stuff just to sell. … We find a good home for the stuff, too. I tell people they don’t have to buy something unless they love it.”

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Hayes’ background in merchandising is successfully tested at Scoop Vintage.

“The store is set up so they can walk around and wander,” Hayes said. “Even though it’s a small space, there’s a lot of product in here (more than 1,000 items). I’m trained in merchandising and display, so the displays are set up to attract people, and also, with it being a small space, slow them down.

“I have customers that will spend five minutes in here or I have customers that will spend 45 minutes in here. Depending on what catches their eye.”

The time invested in choosing what to buy from collectors and families (they don’t do consignment) sometimes means a tug at the heartstrings when something is sold and leaves Scoop Vintage.

One item that fits that category is a toy car priced at $250

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“This piece is a Schuco, pre-World War II, a tele-steering wind-up toy in remarkable condition, still in the box,” said Hayes, who grew up building model cars and later worked in the automotive industry.

With its accompanying small pylons, one could make a race track and “drive” the Schuco for hours.

“This is one that you probably never see, especially in this condition,” Hayes continued. “I don’t think anybody barely ever played with it.”

The concise manner in which the merchandise ­— Art Deco pottery, vintage board games, antiques and classic toys and more —  is arranged is by design, Hayes said.

“I’ve been in way too many antique stores that have just been cluttered and crowded,” he said. “You have to dig for things, or you go to pick something up and you have to move something. You can pick up anything in here without touching anything else.”

That approach elicited a thumbs-up from Simon and Darga.

“You can see everything,” said Darga, who had stopped in with her daughter on a Saturday afternoon. “Pieces catch your eye. Sometimes when the store is too big, you can’t really see and appreciate a lot of the pieces.”

They left with a vintage ceramic food warmer that Hayes had set out the day before.

Also grabbing Darga’s attention was a display of classic Polaroid cameras, sure conversation pieces and quite the departure from today’s pervasive smartphone cameras.

The store has a wide range of nostalgic goodies for customers of all ages to consider for holiday gift-giving, Hayes said.

In one area are Beatles lunch boxes and even a Beatles-themed Monopoly game.

“We kind of buy things we like or (that) would be of personal interest,” he said. “So, Beatles stuff tends to sell — throughout the year, not even just the holidays.”

Nearby were board games for TV shows and glass tumblers of cartoon characters. On a wall was a 1930s poster for “The Witch,” a play presented by the Dayton Theatre Guild. Another had the outer box for Scoop!, a newspaper-themed board game sold during decades when print media dominated.

But Hayes insisted the Scoop game had no bearing on deciding to name his business Scoop Vintage.

“The name comes from my wife. She has always used the word scoop; she is known for it with her friends,” Hayes said. “Scoop is like her ‘cool,’ or ‘What’s the scoop?’ ”

Scoop Vintage is open 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

259 East 14 Mile
Clawson, MI 48017
248.439.1122

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Neo-Japanese Pastry Shop Opens to Raves in Clawson

Neo-Japanese Pastry Shop Opens to Raves in Clawson

by | Nov 27, 2019 | Clawson, LBN Community Series, White Wolf

Neo-Japanese Pastry Shop Opens to Raves in Clawson

27

NOVEMBER 2019

BY TIM SMITH

LBN Community Series
Clawson

It’s an almost other-worldly experience that greets customers at Clawson’s new White Wolf Japanese Patisserie.

The sights and smells inside White Wolf bedazzle those who visit the shop on 14 Mile near Main. Upon entering the recently opened bakery-café, patrons see a colorful display of treats and a wide-open food preparation area. Behind the counter, executive chef Doran Brooks sprinkles ground-up green tea over the popular Matcha Mille Crepes.

DORAN BROOKS

EXECUTIVE CHEF, WHITE WOLF JAPANESE PATISSERIE

White Wolf has drawn an increasing number of people from different cultures since a soft opening in September. Enthusiasm continues to grow, Brooks said, thanks to word of mouth and glowing reviews on websites such as Yelp. And, he emphasized, the best is yet to come – the full menu soon will be unveiled, when White Wolf moves from limited hours to a seven-days-a-week venture in December or January.

“Customer response has been outstanding,” said Brooks, who worked with parent company True World Group (which also owns the nearby Noble Fish) to take the White Wolf concept to reality. “People have been enjoying their time here. We get three, four, five hundred people through here on the weekends. It’s just been very, very good and we’re getting busier and busier every weekend, which is awesome.

“A big part of this was to do something in an area that wants this quality and this level of product but doesn’t quite have it yet.”

On a busy Saturday afternoon, Joe and Soo Kim of Sterling Heights came for the coffee and left with high praise — and a bag of the savory, not-too-sweet Japanese-French-style pastries assembled by Brooks and the kitchen staff using organic and fresh ingredients.

“Essentially, it’s a Japanese pastry shop,” Joe Kim said. “We like the fact that the desserts aren’t overly sweet. We tried some of the desserts today and it was fantastic.”

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The Kims had slices of Matcha Mille Crepe with their medium-roast coffee.

“With cakes and stuff like that, it’s sometimes overly sweet with too much crème,” Joe Kim said. “But we realized that the Asian-inspired desserts are not as overly sweet and that’s something our taste buds appreciate.”

They said the location is perfect for the area’s large Asian population.

“I think it’s not only going to attract the Japanese,” Joe Kim said. “We’re Korean, and it seems like the dessert preferences are very similar. We’ve been waiting in line, and we noticed that there were more Koreans here as well. Just because we hear them speaking the language. And it’s very close to Troy. We know there’s a big Korean community in Troy.”

According to Brooks, whose global approach to baking was formed while working in famous restaurant kitchens, the concept for White Wolf was to “build something that was different and unique. A lot of food establishments in this day and age are driven towards high-margin, high-volume products. They are trying to make a profit.

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“We wanted to build something that was more driven towards customer service and value for the customer.”

Visitors to White Wolf can see Japanese Strawberry Shortcake or Kare Pan (a Japanese vegetarian curry in a deep-fried bun) take shape before their eyes.

“One of our core values here at White Wolf is transparency,” said Brooks, who was also classically trained in French cuisine. “So, if you look at the way that the whole kitchen is open, there’s a lot of glass, there’s not a lot of things hidden.”

Brooks said having the successful Noble Fish nearby provided a good jumping-off point in Clawson for White Wolf.

“Noble has such a strong reputation in the metro Detroit area for the best Japanese sushi. When this location became available it made perfect sense for us to move here,” he said.

Brooks underscores that White Wolf is a “neo-Japanese patisserie bakery and café” rather than a traditional one.

“We are taking the best part of what the Japanese approach towards those parts are (and) improving on, making them special.”

Also certain to be special will be the holidays, when patrons can pre-order (by calling or visiting the store) strawberry shortcake with Christmas themes.

“All the leavening’s incorporated by hand, so it’s a very light, very tender, very unsweetened, textured chiffon cake,” Brooks said. “And then we just use fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries. That’s it, those are the main components. There’s no butter crème, there’s no fillers, there’s no chemical leavening agents or anything like that.”

Whether folks stop by for a coffee and a muffin, gluten-free macaroons or Melon Pan, they are in for a global culinary experience. Yet Brooks also wants to incorporate local input when tweaking his menu.

“There’s a lot of room for creativity, a lot of room to try things, to gauge customers’ response to it and help the menu develop with the customers based on their feedback,” he said.

He added: “If something is going really, really well then we’ll make more of that and more things similar to that. If people don’t really like something we’re doing then we’ll change it up.”

Judging by a jam-packed Saturday, Brooks won’t need to worry about that any time soon.

White Wolf Japanese Patisserie is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

31 East 14 Mile Road
Clawson, MI 48017

whitewolfbakery.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Motor City Barbell and Fitness Club: Lifting Large and Preaching Wellness in Clawson

Motor City Barbell and Fitness Club: Lifting Large and Preaching Wellness in Clawson

by | Jan 30, 2019 | Clawson, LBN Community Series, Motor City Barbell

Motor City Barbell and Fitness Club: Lifting Large and Preaching Wellness in Clawson
30
JANUARY 2019
BY PATTY LANOUE STEARNS
LBN Community Series
Clawson
Justin Tebedo is one strong guy: He can squat an impressive 400 pounds and bench press 260.

But he’s not bragging. This former Marine is on a mission: Show people how to build their bodies better, through fitness, nutrition and strength training. After years of doing personal training at other people’s gyms, he opened his own cross-training studio in Clawson, Motor City Barbell and Fitness Club.

JUSTIN TEBEDO

OWNER, MOTOR CITY BARBELL AND FITNESS CLUB
“We started with zero members in December of 2016,” says the 30-year-old Tebedo (pronounced TEE-be-do), “and now we’re up to 45.”

In September of 2018 he moved from his first building, a diminutive 150-square-foot studio in downtown Clawson, to a comparatively massive 2,000 square-foot space. His goal is 75 members and a couple more trainers, and he’s moving right along as planned.

Enter through the back door of the charcoal-gray building, where you’ll be greeted by Tebedo’s Australian Shepherd mix, Maya. On this sunny day, Tebedo has a rare break, the gym is empty for the moment, and he reflects about where he started and where he is headed.

The Clawson resident joined the Marines after graduating from Reese High School in Reese, MI, a small, everybody-knows-your-name town outside of Frankenmuth. He was on the school football team, the Reese Rockets, and trained with weights, but he says the five years he spent in the Marines traveling the world as a C-130 cargo aircraft crew member made a huge impact on the direction of his life.

“It gave me more confidence and the feeling that anything’s possible if you put your mind to it.”

That includes creating a cool and informative website, which he figured out how to build on his own, and putting together the inside of his light-filled gym. He painted the walls, built all the wooden equipment stands, coated the cement floors, added a powerful sound system, equally high-end fitness equipment, and even a real traffic light for interval workouts. That certainly will get someone’s attention.

“I like to keep it very clean and organized,” says Tebedo, adding that a lounge area, where you can recharge and watch the big-screen TV, is in the works. And the big news is he recently got engaged to Ashely Levin, who also trains with him in his club.

Tebedo has been involved with training for 10 years, eight of which have been in the Detroit area. He earned several certifications from the National Personal Training Institute in Rochester, MI, including diet and nutrition, cross-fit, and kettlebells and Olympic lifting.

“Justin never gave up on me and he will not give up on you.”
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He offers personal training by appointment, either one-on-one or small groups; strength and balance training; body-movement awareness; nutritional programs (he doesn’t push any products, just sound eating that will help clients lose weight); and helps clients graduate to new levels after each one is achieved. He also offers seminars, olympic weightlifting twice a week, Barbell 101 three times a week and open gym throughout the week. “I’m trying to build a youth athletic program as well,” he says.
“I want to keep it as a club,” says Tebedo, where everybody knows each others’ names, just like the town he grew up in, and just how he sees the city of Clawson. Motor City’s members average between 28 and 50 years old, but all ages are welcome. And he emphasizes that no one should feel intimidated about the barbells just because they’ve never used them before. “Basically I teach progression of movements, from beginning to more advanced.”
Reading the positive testimonials on his website, like the woman who dropped five dress sizes in two years, is enough to motivate anyone who sits at a desk all day, feeling hopeless about change: “Justin never gave up on me and he will not give up on you. Since our first meeting, I have lost approximately 45 lbs., now comfortably fit into a size 4, competed in a bodybuilding competition (bikini division), and have begun training to compete in an Olympic Weightlifting meet early next year.”

So, if you’ve made that New Year’s resolution and are still pondering a way to keep your word, Justin Tebedo just might be the guy who can make it happen.

Motor City Barbell
and Fitness Club
844 W. 14 Mile Road
Clawson, MI 48017
989-295-2144
or 248-677-4766

motorcitybarbellclub.com

Discounts offered for first responders, teachers and families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Billings Lawn Equipment Celebrates 60 Years with Move to Clawson

Billings Lawn Equipment Celebrates 60 Years with Move to Clawson

by | Jan 2, 2019 | Billings Lawn Equipment, Clawson, LBN Community Series

Billings Lawn Equipment Celebrates 60 Years with Move to Clawson
02
JANUARY 2019
BY REBECCA CALAPPI
LBN Community Series
Clawson
It used to be that if you were looking for monkey chow and elephant food, Billings Feed Store was the place to go.

“My grandfather bought the business in 1959 when it was Billings Feed Store,” said current owner Scott Johnson. “We used to supply the zoo with all their feed years ago.”

SCOTT JOHNSON (center, in gray)

OWNER, BILLINGS LAWN EQUIPMENT
Billings Feed Store has been around since the 1930s. Johnson’s grandfather, Henry, worked for Les Billings, the owner.

“My grandfather worked for him [Les Billings] as a young guy. He was a truck driver,” said Johnson. “He ended up buying it from Les Billings and he ended up keeping the family name.”

Johnson recalls being in the store as a kid, making tunnels in the feedbags, ripping open feed bags and playing with the cats in the store.

“We had mynah birds and we sold parakeets when my grandfather owned it. We still have people who come in who remember the cats and the birds,” said Johnson. “We had to get rid of the mynah birds because the customers taught them bad words.”

The Billings store has a long history in Royal Oak at Main and Lincoln, and Johnson plans to continue in the new location on 14 Mile Road in Clawson, which opened in November.

Initially, Billings had two stores near each other: one was lawn equipment the other was a feed store. The feed store was sold, leaving the lawn store for Johnson to run.

“My dad, Rick, got cancer in 2015, and we knew the real estate we had was worth some money, so we were going to sell it and let him retire. Unfortunately, he passed away in May 2018,” said Johnson.

Today, the newly re-opened Billings Lawn Equipment has all the trimmers, mowers, snow blowers and weed whippers homeowners and business owners need to keep yards looking their best.

“We sell everything the big box stores do, but we sell it for the same price. We have free delivery and we service them and have a full line of parts. If you’re looking for gear, they’ve got it from A to Z here.”
“We sell everything you need for residential landscaping and working. We carry pretty much the same stuff we’ve always carried over the years— Stihl, Redmax, Echo, Shindaiwa and we still carry all the residential stuff like Toro, everything from line trimmers to lawn mowers,” said Johnson. “We sell everything the big box stores do, but we sell it for the same price. We have free delivery and we service them and have a full line of parts.”

Travis Beard, co-owner of Worry Free Outdoor Services, has been a loyal Billings customer since opening his business in 1998.

“We went into their open house they have every year, we met Scott and Rick and they walked us through the process. We’ve been loyal to them ever since,” said Beard. “That’s who I call when I need something. We call them for service to our mowers, parts, new mowers, my partner just goes up there to hang out. It’s a destination place. People come from all over. Once you go in there once, you keep coming back.”

With 11 employees, Billings Lawn Equipment has the experience and knowledge customers want when looking to make an investment in machinery. At one time, almost everyone working at Billings was family.

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“We have a lot of long-term employees. People leave, but they always come back. Everyone’s been here on average 15 to 20 years,” said Johnson. “That is one advantage of coming to a place like this is the knowledge. You don’t get that when you go to Home Depot. We try to get things done efficiently and cost effective as possible.”

Johnson explained that while the Billings team can sell lawnmowers and snow blowers, they also have a full parts department with roughly $500,000 in inventory and service area. In fact, Johnson is one of the mechanics.

They fit snowplows to trucks, tune up a motor and find the right belt for the equipment. The staff in the showroom are knowledgeable and friendly, making it a comfortable experience for all.

“The coolest thing is it’s a third generation, family-owned business,” said Johnson. “That doesn’t happen very often.”

 

1241 W 14 Mile Rd
Clawson, MI 48017
248.541.0138

billingslawn.com

 

 

 

 

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