It was 1936, the end of the Great Depression, when Lawrence Shipley, Sr. created a gourmet recipe for Do-Nuts. So delicious were the Do-Nuts that they have withstood the test of time.  Cut by hand and served hot throughout the day, the Do-Nuts were 5 cents a dozen and were only sold wholesale. The product was so successful that it started to sell on the retail market in the mid 1940s.

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With Lawrence Sr. away on donut routes, his wife Lillie would stay behind and make the culinary delights with Lawrence Jr. at her knee.  People would come from miles around to sample the nectar of the sumptuous hot glazed Do-Nuts.  Serving them hot was a goal of the elder Shipley. Lawrence Shipley, Sr. once said, “When they bite into that hot donut, it will bring them back every time.”  It is that very concept that continues to bring generations of donut lovers back to Shipley’s as loyal customers.

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“One of the best memories I have of my father is walking to Shipley Do-Nuts on Saturday morning for that hot plain glazed,” said Kathy Froleigh. “It was the one time of the week, when Daddy was all mine, giving me his full attention. I have tried to create that same kind of memory for my own children who I take to Shipley’s every Saturday morning. They each get to pick out their favorite Do-Nuts while we sit and talk, laugh and enjoy our favorite varieties. “They never knew my father. He died before they were born. But they know him through the stories I have told of our special time together every Saturday morning when we talked about what happened during the week as we ate our Do-Nuts.” “I don’t know what I would do if we didn’t have our Shipley’s Do-Nuts,” said Froleigh. “It would be like taking away part of my history and my future.”