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Ok, why the big fuss?
Well, if you haven't been to Dutch Girl Donuts in the past, you may not understand. If you have, you get it.
The legendary shop on Woodward, just south of 7 Mile Road in Detroit, closed in September 2021. Recently, Detroiter and third-generation funeral director Paddy Lynch bought the place.
On Friday, they started cooking up test batches of donuts and giving out free tastes. They're calling it a soft opening, with the plan to go full throttle by Mother's Day, which is May 12.
On Saturday, they once again passed out two free glazed test donuts. On Sunday they'll stay closed until the official opening.
"Today's great, we're giving donuts away, two per customer and people are just thrilled to be back... So far people have been really pleased," he said on Saturday on the sidewalk outside the shop.
"It was part of my childhood," he said, adding that it was also a favorite as an adult. "It was part of my daily commute. So even as an adult I was stopping here more than I'd like to admit. And when I was a little boy my dad would take me in here a lot. So, I'm as happy as any other Detroiter to see it up and running again."
He said the donuts will be the same, but he's got a couple new things in the works.
He said the Becharas Brothers Coffee Co. in Highland Park is working on a special blend of coffee for the shop, and people will also be able to buy bags of that coffee. Additionally, he said he's in conversations with Ray's Ice Cream in Royal Oak about doing a line of Dutch Girl Donut flavors.
The donuts should taste the same as before. Jon Timmer, grandson of the founders, will be making the family recipes.
Cecelia and John Timmer started the donut shop in 1947. It was originally called Dixie Cream Donuts, a franchise outlet, and was near the State Fairgrounds. In 1950, they moved a half-mile south to a newly constructed shop, which is where it stands today.
In the mid-1950s, they broke away from the franchise and became Dutch Girl Donuts.
In 1965, John Timmer passed away and his son Gene, a 1964 graduate of West Bloomfield High School, took over.
Gene Timmer died last Sept. 17 from cancer, just weeks after the shop hit the pause button. His son, Jon Timmer, a third-generation donut-maker, had been helping manage the shop.
Celebration on Saturday
