GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Van’s Pastry Shoppe has called its building on Fulton Street home since the 1940s. Owners say dedication to tradition and the support of the Grand Rapids community have been the backbone of the business’ success.
Days start very early at the shop, located on Fulton near Diamond Avenue. Workers spend the morning measuring, weighing and preparing the many ingredients needed for the day.
“The bakery started in the early ’20s when my great-grandpa came over from the old country,” owner David Vander Meer said. “My dad ran it for 40 years, and grandpa and great-grandpa before that.”
Started by Vander Meer’s great-grandfather, the shop has been in the family for four generations and in its current building since 1942…