LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – After nearly 80 years in business, an iconic New Albany donut shop is going up for sale.
Through the decades, Honey Creme Donuts, located at 514 Vincennes Street, has become a staple in the area.
The shop first opened in the 1940s and has been family-owned and operated through four generations.
“Mr. Bailey started the donut shop back in the late 40s, we took it back to 1946 and it is my husband’s grandfather that started the business,” said co-owner Andrea Van Horn. “With that being said, just to be a part of Mr. Bailey’s legacy means so much.”
You can find traces of the shop’s history throughout the store. Even some of the equipment the owners still use today are the originals from the 1940s.
Van Horn says it took a few years after the business opened to settle on the name Honey Creme Donuts. She says the name may have something to do with how their donuts are made.
“People think it’s got something to do with some of our recipes and well… that’s a family secret,” Van Horn said.
The shop’s donuts have become a fan favorite in New Albany. The shop was voted the best donut in Southern Indiana by Southern Living Magazine.
“We’ve got people, just customer after customer coming in with their memories and stating when they used to walk to school, or on the way to their fishing trips with their fathers and grandfathers and stopping by the donut shop on the way,” Van Horn said. “I started a memory book and threw it out on the counter because it’s constant.”
Van Horn and her husband have decided it’s time for a new chapter and have decided to put the shop up for auction online. The auction will take place from October 11th to October 17th with a minimum price of $750,000. You can view the auction at bid.svnauctions.com.
“The neatness to that for me is allowing someone besides just family to get in on a turnkey business opportunity,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn says the family is open to all business ideas, whether the new owners want to keep the iconic shop exactly the same or start a new business venture of their own.
“It speaks for itself, it’s established, coming on a centennial anniversary,” Van Horn said. “If someone wanted to take it as a whole and run with it, we would love to be a helping hand in the part of that turning of the legacy.”
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