THE LITTLE WHITE STORE
The Little White Store stands as a reminder of main street Orange City in the 1880s. The Dutch Heritage Boosters own and maintain the building, presently using it as a place to make poffertjes
(a Dutch pastry) that are used to raise funds for their projects.
HISTORY
1870s
White frame building constructed.
1877
Dirk van den Bos sold the property to G.H. Haverkamp, whose wife opened a millinery and dress store in the present building. In the store, she sold hats, feathers, bonnets and flowers, and also cut and fit dresses.
1882
The Haverkamps sold the store to Jennie Markus for $850. Markus continued to run it as a millinery store, and also lived in the apartment upstairs.
1927
Mike Posthumus purchased the building and rented it to Dick Andringa who used it as a barbershop. Andringa and his family lived on the premises.
1945
Andringa sold the building to Oscar De Vries who used it as an electrical shop and stored appliances upstairs.
1988
Dutch Heritage Boosters purchase the building, name it the Little White Store and introduce a favorite Dutch food, poffertjes, into the festival.
1873
Henry Hospers, founder of Orange City, sold the land to Dirk van den Bos.
1880
Building moved to present location on Central Avenue.
James TeGrotenhuis purchased the building to use as an electrical shop, where he designed the Silent Sioux oil heater.
1920
Andringa assumed ownership of the building.
1939
1953
De Vries sold the building to Geert and Grada Hollinga who ran it as a barber shop until their son Lambert, who was also a barber, took over. In addition to cutting hair, Lambert sold hunting and fishing equipment there until his retirement in the early 1980s.
