Cops and Doughnuts opens Mount Pleasant location
Central Precinct, the Mount Pleasant location for the statewide baked goods franchise Cops and Doughnuts, opened for business at 1327 South Mission Street on July 13.
Alan "Bubba" White, co-owner of Cops and Doughnuts, was one of nine officers from the Clare City Police Department that pooled their funds together to buy Clare City Bakery when it was going out of business in 2009.
"We were tired of seeing stores close and we hated to see that old bakery close, which had been in Clare since the 1800s," said White. "Where else were we going to get doughnuts?
"We had incredible media coverage. People loved the idea of some civic-minded cops getting together and doing something for their community."
Cops and Doughnuts officially opened on July 1, 2009, the 113th anniversary of the Clare City Bakery. Since then, Cops and Doughnuts has expanded to six locations across the Midwest, including Clare, Ludington, Bay City, Gaylord, Mount Pleasant in Michigan and South Bend in Indiana.
White believes the Mount Pleasant opening has been their most successful yet.
The franchise has received nationwide attention due to its unique story, and has travelled to countries like England to advertise its brand.
"It's a because (Cops and Doughnuts) is true Americana," said Greg Rynearson, president of Cops and "The American Dream is alive if you want to work hard and invest. That's what we need, more entrepreneurs."
"We put our heart and soul into, we put a lot of hours into it, and so we were successful."
Cops and Doughnuts intentionally stayed out of Mount Pleasant until now out of respect for the owners of Robaire Bakery, though since the economy has improved since 2009, Mount Pleasant can handle more two bakeries, said Rynearson.
Eva Anderson, a Mount Pleasant native, first visited the Clare City Bakery in 1941, when she was 10 years old and friends with the daughter of the owners at the time.
Together with her husband Karl, Eva visited Central Precinct for its grand opening, marking the third time she had been to a Cops and Doughnuts location since its 2009 opening. Eva and Karl plan to come to Central Precinct much more often now that it's closer.
"The atmosphere is nice, the help is nice," Eva said. "To me, it's a nice, cheery place to come and have a cup of coffee and a conversation. I think it's going to be a nice meeting place."
