Jack Frost Donuts of Erie sold; new owners plan convenience store and coffee and bake shop
Darlene Cohen, former owner of the former Jack Frost Donuts, 2119 Buffalo Road, has sold the building. She said the price, $225,000, was not enough to get her out of debt, but that it will help.
The new owners include two men, Paul Davhi and a business partner in New York. They bought the Jack Frost building and are planning to reopen it in August or September as a grocery, coffee and bake shop, Davhi said. Davhi and his partner also purchased the Tree House Tavern, 228 Main St., in Girard in May for $100,000, and it is undergoing renovation. Davhi said he hopes the Tree House will open June 15.
Davhi also owns a Quick Stop at West 18th and Chestnut streets.
"(Jack Frost) was on the market for a year," Cohen said. "COVID killed it. I could not find people to work or somebody who wants to learn and stay in the business. Nobody seems to want to be in business right now."
More: Glazed, filled or iced: Here are places in the Erie area to find your favorite doughnuts
Cohen owned the shop for seven years and called the sale "bittersweet," adding that Jack Frost Donuts has been in business since 1929. She closed the shop in May.
"It's positive," for the community, said commercial real estate agent Sherry Bauer, who executed the sales. "It's better for these places to reopen instead of sitting there vacant."
More: Erie's Mighty Fine Donuts is for sale; Parade Street store remains open
Cohen remains cheerful about her future. She has been doing embroidery work on the side and plans to go into property management.
"If it isn't fun, I'm not doing it," she said.
Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com or 814-870-1885.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Jack Frost Donuts of Erie sold; grocery, coffee and bake shop planned
