New Paltz Runs on Gunkin’! Doughnut Shop Now Open

The shop has been widely popular in its first week. The treats often sell out within the first few hours! Photo courtesy of Gunkin' Doughnuts.

Visit the business that has just snuck up, is worth your bucks and in their opening week has had great luck! Gunkin’ Doughnuts is a newly opened doughnut shop in town. Located at 138 Main St., the freshly established sweet stop has already had great success.

The business, which officially opened its doors on Nov. 5, is advertised as being open each weekend, Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. until they sell out of doughnuts. Almost every day since opening, this up-in-the-air closing time comes pretty fast.

Multiple posts announcing that the doughnuts for the day have all been bought up can be found throughout the shop’s Instagram.

This may be due to the doughnut shop’s previous popularity amongst friends and acquaintances of owner Rachel Wyman, and the business’ frequent appearance at the New Paltz open-air market. 

“I have a bakery in Montclair, New Jersey, but I spend a lot of time in New Paltz running, cycling and climbing and I’ve made a lot of friends up here,” Wyman explained. “I kept bringing them doughnuts from Montclair and then more and more people wanted them. Then I got a spot in the farmers market.”

The opening of Gunkin’ Doughnuts in a physical space was a bit of an unexpected venture, Wyman did not expect the business to take this direction when she first started out.

“A couple weeks into being at the farmers market, one of the other business owners gave me her landlord’s information, said that there was a space available and here I am,” Wyman further explained. “It wasn’t really my goal in New Paltz, it just organically grew into that.”

Self-described as a store that creates “funky hunks of dough that climb above the gunks to create flavorful, magical doughnuts,” on the business’ website, Gunkin’ Doughnuts promises to create a new experience for all customers.

One of the flavorful doughnuts featured at the new shop, which is also Wyman’s favorite, is the Short Stack doughnut.

According to Wyman, this maple flavored sourdough doughnut tastes just like a pancake breakfast. The Short Stack is aptly named to be sold in a shop that sells their products like hot cakes. One thing that makes these doughnuts stand out is that rather than creating the dough itself from a pre-made mix, the bakers at Gunkin’ Doughnuts craft their own recipe using locally sourced ingredients. This allows the shop to also sell vegan options.

A post on the shop’s Instagram page promises that more doughnuts will be offered next week when the shop will operate at full capacity, but based on the first few opening days, Gunkin’ Doughnuts is set to become a popular Main St. stop.

“Once we get past the pandemic, I really want it to be a space where people want to spend time and gather,” Wyman said. “I think the treats are just a nice addition.”

Gunkin’ Doughnuts is located at 138 Main St. and open Friday through Sunday.