A sweet sign for downtown Tacoma donut lovers

A donut shop with a long history in the South Sound could soon offer its sweet treats in downtown Tacoma.

The Original House of Donuts is expected to open at 766 St. Helens Ave., a prime storefront located near the intersections of South 9th Street, St. Helens Avenue, and Broadway. The space was previously occupied by the Downtown Vision Center. It is also across the street from Tully’s Coffee.

According to information available on the City of Tacoma’s Web site, a construction permit was issued on Sept. 30. The company has also created a Facebook page specifically for the downtown Tacoma location. Over the past few weeks, several downtown Tacoma stakeholders have asked this reporter if he knows about the donut shop opening on the corner.

The Tacoma Daily Index contacted Original House of Donuts owner Tom Peterson on Monday to inquire about the tips and hopefully learn more about the size of the new store, the opening date, the hours of operation, and reasons for opening a new location in downtown Tacoma. “We are doing construction in Tacoma, yes, but we aren’t ready to make an announcement just yet,” Peterson told the Index. He said more information about the new store would be available after the holidays.

The Original House of Donuts, which is located at 9638 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, was opened in 1959 by husband-and-wife owners Bob and Marilyn Cheatham, who ran the business for 50 years, according to the company’s Web site. The business (including the secret recipes for donuts) was eventually sold to Peterson, who re-opened it in January of last year after it was briefly closed for kitchen renovations.