Doughnut Demise
Lakewood doughnut shop faces same unsavory fate as Dixie House
Another neighborhood favorite in Lakewood Center has been given its walking papers. Donut Paradise, a mom-and-pop doughnut shop at 1961 Abrams Rd., is shutting down on February 29, after failure to come to terms with landlord Lincoln Properties.
The shop's owners posted a note detailing the history of their negotiations with the landlord that ended with their having to close.
"We've been working with the broker to renew our contract since last year, but the owner said there were lot of time left so don't worry about it," the note reads. "Broker sent lot of emails to the owner about our opinions about renewing, but the owner always responded late.
"Owner was trying to make us use the vacant space next door (where Fan Man was) and increase the rent," it continues. "We didn't want to do that so we kept sending our opinion about only renewing the current location. Yesterday we received an email from our broker that the owner want us to move to different place when our contract is over. So we are closing our donut shop on February 29."
According to a post on the Lakewood neighborhood Facebook page, the rent for Donut Paradise was raised by more than $3,000. The landlord was unavailable for comment.
Donut Paradise is a small chain that has had branches in Carrollton and Roanoke. But the owners of the Lakewood store have roots in the neighborhood, including children who attended local schools. A woman at the shop who identified herself as Mrs. Choi said that she didn't know what their future plans were, but that they were considering moving the store to another part of the Dallas area.
The demise of Donut Paradise follows the abrupt closure in January of Dixie House, which was forced out by landlord Lincoln Properties, despite its management's willingness to pay a higher rent.