Iconic Shoals Donut Shoppe says goodbye after 42 years

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAFF) - The line of cars started forming at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning outside the Donut Shoppe on Florence Boulevard and Helton Drive in Florence.

Loyal customers knew that this was the final day the shop would be in business, and once the last batch sold out, it would be all over.

Theresa Knight’s sister and mother started baking donuts and opened the shop. Her brother, David Wallace, kept it running. Wallace passed away last month, and the family made the decision to close.

Once word got out late last week, customers have been coming in to pay their respects and get one last taste of the custom donuts. On the final day of business, it didn’t take long for the last donut to sell. They were all gone by 10:00 a.m. A testament to customers who’ve started their day at the Donut Shoppe for decades.

“They love our good, homemade donuts,” Knight told WAFF 48. “They respect us. They love us. They’ve been so good to us. They made our paychecks. They were just so loyal. They loved us just as much as we loved them.”

Knight says the shop has seen hard times recently, due to her brother’s failing health. “He worked so hard in sickness and worrying about himself, but he always worried about the customers more than himself,” Knight said. “He would be in a lot of pain but he would come up here to make sure the donuts were being properly made, and everybody was doing their jobs and just making a good product.”

When asked how the shop stayed open over four decades with countless competitors in a growing city, Knight had an easy answer. “They’re homemade. We do every one of them. We take the time to let the dough rise, then let it rise again. It’s all fresh product.” Knight said. “We want it to be known, they were good, not frozen. When you walked in here you got a fresh donut every day.”

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