Doughnut shop opens in Grove City, sells out within hours on first day

Jul. 30—GROVE CITY — Since 1937, Clark's Donuts have been selling homemade doughnuts across Mercer County and Pennsylvania, but now, Grove City welcomed a new location right in its downtown.

Enthusiastically.

Clark's Donuts officially opened its doors last Wednesday morning, and the store far exceeded first-day expectations.

"When I was setting up the route for how many doughnuts we'd get today, I went conservative. I ordered 100 dozen. We were sold out by 8 a.m.," Evan Martin, the store owner, said. "I had to get another 80 dozen brought in from another store and in about 15 minutes we'll be sold out again."

When Martin was looking for a new location for the store, he decided on the borough not far from where he grew up in. Martin was born and raised in Slippery Rock, and lives near Barkeyville.

The Grove City outlet marks a first for Clark's Donuts in Mercer County, in that it's a stand-alone store. The franchise's remaining shops in the county are in Country Fair gas stations-convenience stores, places like Wagler's Camp Perry convenience store in Clark's Mills — there's even an outlet in Sharon Regional Medical Center.

However, the Grove City store belongs solely to the doughnut shop.

"I thought Grove City would be an excellent choice. There are plenty of commercial businesses, the college and just friendly people," Martin said. "We got the property a few months ago, and while I was originally worried about parking, we found solutions."

Martin said he is excited to bring his doughnuts to Grove City. The doughnuts are made in Seneca and driven to Grove City around 4 a.m. every day.

"We are 100% better than other doughnut shops. Our doughnuts are made the old fashioned way, real ingredients. They're fresh and made with flour, sugar and love," Martin said. "What people really end up talking about is the delicious fillings. It's made in-house and people go crazy for it."

The store also sells cookies, muffins and cinnamon rolls among other options. A full menu can be found at their website, clarksdonuts.com.

Eric Divincenzo was one of the many people who made it a priority to grab a doughnut during Clark's first day.

"I've had them before and they're great," Divincenzo said. "When I saw on Facebook that there was one opening up around here, I knew I had to swing by and grab a few. They do not disappoint."

"We found a community that really knows how to show up for a local business, Martin said. "Hopefully we can keep this going. I'll be sure to bring more doughnuts tomorrow."

The store is at 117 S. Broad St. Clark's is open 5:15 a.m. until 1 p.m. dailyy except Tuesday and Sunday.