Bay View Doughnut Shop Gets Delayed
Sweet Rings planned shop, hired contractor with long list of court cases, money owed.
2899 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Sweet Rings is “a family owned handmade donut shop,” its website notes. “We want to be your neighborhood donut dealer Bay View!”
To date the doughnuts could be purchased online or on Wednesdays (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at the Westown Farmer’s Market on Third and Michigan Streets in Zeidler Park. But owners Bobby and Amanda Ring announced exciting plans in February 2018 to open a brick-and-mortar shop at 2899 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. But on May 20, a post on Sweet Rings’ Facebook page provided a sour update, saying the construction company hired to renovate the building never completed their work.
“I am so sorry to everyone who has been waiting for us to open. As you all know I have hit a few problems but I now need to share what has been going on,” the post reads. “In the very beginning we paid a set of contractors thousands of dollars to do work on the building. These guys took my money and never came back to do any real work. I had nothing but good faith in these guys and listened to promise after promise.”
According to the post, the money paid to the contractors combined with the rent on the unfinished space attributed to financial troubles for the couple. In comments on the post, Amanda Ring identifies the company as KMG Mechanical, owned by father-and-son, Ken and Vance Grabske.
According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court records, KMG Mechanical appeared as the garnishee in a 2014 civil case brought against Ken Grabske by Santander Consumer USA Inc. Grabske was ordered to pay $19,289 while KMG Mechanical was ordereded to pay $19,761. In a 2018 civil case, KMG Mechanical appeared as the garnishee where Vance Grabske was the debtor and Credit Acceptance Corporation was the creditor. In that case, KMG Mechanical was ordered to pay $14,560.
Since 1999, Ken Grabske has been the defendant in over 20 court cases, many of them civil or small claims, in Milwaukee and Walworth counties. Two cases have been filed against Grabske this year. Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC filed a case against Grabske in January. The case is listed as closed, but a judgement was not specified. In March, the Department of Revenue issued a delinquent tax warrant against Grabske for $65,236.
Vance Grabske has been the defendant in seven civil and small claims cases in Walworth and Milwaukee counties since 2007. The State of Wisconsin has also brought two cases against Grabske in Waukesha county this month.
While the Rings have not detailed how they plan to move forward, Sweet Rings may still make some kind of appearance in Bay View. “I am doing everything I can to open in some capacity for our fans and the neighborhood,” the post says. The Rings were not immediately reachable for comment by Urban Milwaukee.
A crowdfunding campaign seeking to raise $10,000 was shared on the Sweet Rings Facebook page.
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