BUCKHANNON – Droves of customers cleaned out the shelves as quickly as they could be refilled at the newly opened Donut Spot on Friday.
The Donut Spot welcomed fleets of vehicles and lines of people on their opening day, Friday, Feb. 3. Par Mar Stores took over the operation of the popular Donut Shop and renamed it the Donut Spot in January.
Dave Allen, the Director of Community Relations for Par Mar Stores, said they were expecting to be busy, but their first morning exceeded expectations.
“It’s been amazing,” Allen said. “We knew this was going to be off the hook, but we didn’t have any idea it was going to be this big. We opened at 6 a.m. this morning and there were people already here in line. It’s been nonstop all day. At the present time that we’re doing this interview, we’re out of donuts, but we have a whole team in the back making new donuts right now.”
Allen said the reaction to the reopening is indicative of how important the eatery is to the local community.
“It’s only been closed for about a month, but it just goes to show how much the City of Buckhannon and all of Upshur County really support their small businesses,” Allen said. “We don’t intend to change anything in the store — we’re going to keep everything the same. I hear everybody talking about pepperoni rolls and the angels, and they’re fantastic. It’s all the same.”
Brian Waugh, President of Par Mar Stores, said it is the people who make the shop so beloved.
“We were hearing a lot of things about recipes, but we understood it was the people that made this place — and as you can see, they still do,” Waugh said. “This is another business in the Buckhannon community we’re able to be a part of, and we look forward to serving people here.”
The shop will also maintain its 24 hours of operation.
“We didn’t know at first whether we were going to be able to do 24 hours or not because of a lack of workers, but luckily, the majority of employees stayed on from the previous operation and we are able to open 24 hours a day,” Allen said. “We’re excited about that.”
Mayor Robbie Skinner thanked everyone from Par Mar for investing in such a renowned part of the Buckhannon-Upshur community.
“There is not another business in West Virginia that has the type of notoriety that you all can be stepping into than our, now, Donut Spot,” Skinner said. “Every time I go to the Capitol, every time I go anywhere around the state, and I say I’m from Buckhannon, people say, ‘You have those great donuts and those pepperoni rolls.’ It’s a nostalgic business; it’s interwoven into the fabric of what makes us, us. We’re proud of that, and we’re appreciative of you investing in this community.”
Skinner also thanked West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner for attending Friday’s ribbon cutting. Warner said he was a repeat customer of the Donut Shop, and he was excited to see it make a return.
“We own land about 14 miles from here, so this has been a regular stop for us — no better donut in West Virginia or anywhere,” Warner said. “I was just thrilled to hear it was coming back; it’s the known place to get donuts.”
Warner said they didn’t have his usual favorite ready to order, but that gave him a chance to enjoy something new.
“I like the peanut butter-filled ones,” he said. “They said this was the fourth time they’ve had to make new donuts to keep them on the shelf. When I got here the one thing left was a blueberry donut, so I had that one and it was excellent.”
The Donut Spot is located at 51 N. Locust Street in Buckhannon.
