The Jazz Candy Shop, owned and operated by Charles and Ethel Wakefield, was a popular hangout spot for teens and adults alike in the 1920's. The shop sold an assortment of candies, ice creams, and sodas, with a feature in a 1920's issue of the Antelope Valley Ledger Gazette describing owner Charles as "the Onlyest Candy Maker in this neck of the woods." The treats made by Charles and his wife Ethel quickly became well-known and loved throughout the Antelope Valley.
During its early years of operation, Constable Ed Glidden was killed by a bandit just outside of the Jazz Candy Shop in 1920. Wakefield would become proprietor just two years later, in 1922. A devastating fire in 1935 ultimately led to the destruction and closure of the shop.
"Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005.
Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"
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