| Eateries |
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| DONUT SHOPS |
| DeAngelis Donuts Rochester, PA |
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| DeAngelis Donuts offered "delightfully different donuts" at three locations. This Rochester location was the first, is still open and features a great old sign with a revolving donut. The outlet in Chippewa, PA is open, while the one in Beaver Falls, PA is gone. For more giant donuts, see this page. |
| Mello-Creme Donuts Lima, OH |
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| The Donut Shop Russells Point, OH |
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| The Mello-Creme Donuts chain was founded in 1946. They once had several locations but I believe there are now only two left - both in Lima. The other location in Lima does not have this sign. The Lima and Russells Point locations and signs are from the mid-1960s. I believe these are the only two signs like this that exist. The Russells Point location is now independent and called "The Donut Shop". Their sign was altered for the name change. The Lima store occupies a former Pure Oil gas station. Many examples of this style station are in this section. |
| Allie's Donuts North Kingstown, RI |
Butler's Colonial Donut House Westport, MA |
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Allie's Donuts opened in 1968 and is a Rhode Island institution. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
Butler's Colonial Donut House might not have remarkable architecture but the donuts are sensational. The donut shop opened in 1955. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Donuts Delite [gone] Rochester, NY |
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| Donuts Delite opened in 1958 and is still family-run. A sign in the window reads "We're not the best because we're the oldest, we're the oldest because we're the best." UPDATE: As of 2005, it has been reported that the place will close. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Dutch Uncle Donuts Coldwater, MI |
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| Dutch Uncle Donuts features this cool mid-century building, neat plastic sign, and a small windmill. I wonder if there were other locations. |
| Dawn Donuts Saginaw, MI |
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| Dawn Donuts Flint, MI |
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| Dunkin' Donuts former Dawn Donuts Jackson, MI |
Bell's Pizza House former Dawn Donuts East Lansing, MI |
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| Dunkin' Donuts former Dawn Donuts Battle Creek, MI |
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| Dawn Donuts Waterford, MI |
Taste of India former Dawn Donuts Saginaw, MI |
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Dawn Donuts started out as a bakery in 1920 in Jackson, MI. "Dawn" referred to the time that the bakers started working. Dunkin' Donuts bought the chain in 1991. A few Dunkin' Donuts still retain the previous building style. The Dawn Donuts' wholesale component which focuses on bakery mixes is now known as Dawn Food Products.
The Saginaw, Flint, and Waterford locations are among the few remaining examples of the chain with the apparently mid-1960s building, sign and interior (counter, stools and display features). It seems there were at least 20 Michigan locations at one time: Flint (shown here), Saginaw (2, shown here), Keego Harbor (from 1964, now a Dunkin' Donuts), Bay City (2), Birch Run, Bridgeport, Detroit (3), East Lansing (shown here), Essexville, Frankenmuth, Gaylord, Grand Blanc, Grayling, Jackson (shown here), Midland, Plymouth, and Tawas City (2). There must have been Dawn Donuts locations outside Michigan as well - this one was in Toledo, OH. The Jackson and Battle Creek Dunkin' Donuts and Bell's Pizza House still retain their distinctive Dawn Donuts mid-century roofs which have a similar style to the Christown Lanes. This Saginaw Taste of India has left the Dawn Donuts exterior and color-scheme intact but there is no trace of the old sign. There is another old Dawn Donuts building in Port Huron, MI. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Daylight Donuts Tulsa, OK |
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Daylight Donuts is a nation-wide chain with around 900 locations. The company was founded in Tulsa in 1954. This building on South Yale was built in the early 1950s as a Tastee-Freez. It was later an Arby's and a Shaw's Hamburgers, before becoming a Daylight Donuts. Over the years, the building was expanded and the outdoor patio enclosed.
This sign was originally constructed for Shaw's Hamburgers and modified for Daylight. It has been renovated and repaired many times over the years with the most recent repainting around 1999. One of the poles with a star had to be cut off for power lines. I was told that the owner of the building would be replacing this sign in 2006 with a plastic box type sign. However, as of mid-2007, the sign is still there. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Chattanooga, TN |
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| Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Newport News, VA |
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The Chattanooga Krispy Kreme Doughnuts sign is an example of their sign that was developed in the 1960s. This location also has building from the same time with a rooftop crown. These crown signs are outlined with red neon.
The Newport News location has another old building with a rooftop crown. The Krispy Kreme chain has been around since 1937. They have stores nationwide, as well as in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Mexico. This appears to be an earlier 1950s version of their signs. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| World's Fair Donuts St. Louis, MO |
Haskell Donuts Monroe, MS |
Irish Maid Do-Nuts Fort Smith, AR |
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World's Fair Donuts has been here since 1976 and I can attest to its greatness. There was another donut shop here before that. For more, see this website.
I believe Haskell Donuts has two other locations in Monroe but I don't know if they have this same old sign. This metal sign might have been inspired by Shipley Do-Nuts' signs (see below). This photo was supposedly taken near Shreveport and I would assume this sign is from the same chain. This Irish Maid Do-Nuts appears to be another adapted Shipley Do-Nuts sign. There is another Irish Maid Do-Nuts in Pine Bluff, AR but I don't know if they have an old sign like this. |
| Shipley Do-Nuts Houston, TX |
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| Shipley Do-Nuts North Little Rock, AR |
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| Shipley Do-Nuts Terrell, TX |
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| Shipley Do-Nuts Nacogdoches, TX |
Shipley Do-Nuts Alexandria, LA |
Shipley Do-Nuts Beaumont, TX |
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Shipley Do-Nuts was established in 1936 and opened its first retail store in the 1940s. They now sell 63 varieties of donuts at nearly 200 stores in AL, AR, LA, MS, TN, NM, and TX. 86 of these locations are in the Houston area.
This Houston location on Ella Drive opened in 1963. The signs are the originals and I believe the only old ones left of the chain. They also have a glass window where you can watch the donuts being made. The North Little Rock location has a plastic and neon pole sign. I have not seen another one like it. They mid-century roofline looks a lot like the old Tastee-Freez diamond-roofed buildings. The sign and building make me wonder if this was a pre-existing business that Shipley took over. The Terrell location has fun plastic signage. Their building appears to be a former Mister Swiss. For more, see this website. The Nacogdoches, Alexandria, and Beaumont locations have examples of their modern plastic signs. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. [Nacogdoches photo thanks Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches] |
| Southern Maid Donuts Shreveport, LA |
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| Southern Maid Donuts was founded in 1937 in Dallas, TX. This sign is outlined with green neon with red neon lettering. While the majority of the donuts are made in the early morning hours, customers can request hot donuts to be made on the spot after 4pm. There are many other locations in LA and TX. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Southern Maid Donuts Odessa, TX |
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| The Odessa Southern Maid Donuts has been here since 1955. There is a glass window where you can watch them make the donuts. They have another old location in town but the building and sign are not as nice. |
| For some donut shops with giant donuts, see this page. |
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