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Donut Signs (page 6)

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Shipley Do-Nuts was established in 1936 and opened its first retail store in Houston in the 1940s. They now sell 63 varieties of donuts at nearly 200 stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Texas. 86 of these locations are in the Houston area. For more, see this website.

Shipley Do-Nuts
Houston, TX
The Shipley Do-Nuts on Ella Boulevard opened in 1963 and is the oldest location left. The signs are the originals and the only neon Shipley signs that remain. The was a neon sign in Laurel, MS which is gone now. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Shipley Do-Nuts [gone]
Greenville, MS
This Shipley Do-Nuts sign had neon originally. This location probably opened in the 1950s or 1960s. The sign's lettering was probably like the Houston sign shown above. This store was still operating in 2019. By 2022, it had closed and the sign was gone.

Shipley Do-Nuts
North Little Rock, AR

2008:
2019:
The North Little Rock location has a plastic and neon pole sign. I have not seen another one like it. The building's mid-century modern roofline looks a lot like the old Tastee-Freez diamond-roofed buildings. By 2011, a peaked roof was added on top of the zig-zag roof. The sign and building make me wonder if this was a pre-existing business that Shipley took over. Around 2015, the building was repainted white and red. Around 2017, the sign's neon was removed and it was repainted for Paul's Donuts. [map]

Shipley Do-Nuts
Terrell, TX

Shipley Do-Nuts
Tupelo, MS
2010: 2019:

Shipley Do-Nuts
South St. [gone]
Nacogdoches, TX		 Shipley Do-Nuts
North St. [gone]
Nacogdoches, TX		 Shipley Do-Nuts
McAllen, TX		 Shipley Do-Nuts
Jackson St. Extension
Alexandria, LA		 Shipley Do-Nuts
Lee St. [gone]
Alexandria, LA		 Shipley
Do-Nuts [gone]
Beaumont, TX

Shipley Do-Nuts [gone]
Vicksburg, MS		 Shipley Do-Nuts
Hattiesburg, MS		 former Shipley Do-Nuts
Laurel, MS
The Terrell location's building appears to be a former Mister Swiss. For more, see this website. [map]

The Tupelo location became Scarlet's Donuts in 2015. The sign was adapted. [map]

The photo of the Alexandria location on Lee St. is from 2007. By 2013, the sign panels had been replaced. [Alexandria, Lee St. map]

The Nacogdoches, McAllen, Beaumont, Vicksburg, and Hattiesburg locations have examples of their later plastic signs. The Vicksburg signs had been adapted for Divine Donuts. For more, see this website. [first Nacogdoches location photo thanks Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches] The panels at the Nacogdoches North St. location have been replaced for a Metro T-Mobile store.

[McAllen map]; [Alexandria, Jackson St. Ext. map]

The Beaumont location has closed and the sign and building were adapted for a BBQ restaurant.

[Vicksburg map]; [Hattiesburg map]

This modern Laurel location opened sometime between 2008 and 2014. In 2018, the building began housing Garcia Donuts which adapted the sign. [map]

Haskell's Donuts [gone]
Monroe, LA		 Starks Barbecue
Shreveport, LA		 Irish Maid Do-Nuts
Fort Smith, AR		 former
Irish Maid Do-Nuts
Pine Bluff, AR
This photo of the Haskell's Donuts sign was taken in 2007. By 2013, the sign had been painted white. By 2016, the sign was gone. I believe this was originally a Shipley Do-Nuts' sign (see above). There is a modern-looking Haskell's Donuts sign in West Monroe, LA.

The Starks Barbecue sign was probably a Shipley's sign originally. [map]

This Irish Maid Do-Nuts store in Fort Smith opened in 1960. This sign might be be another adapted or inspired-by Shipley Do-Nuts sign. The shop moved across the street to this mall location around 2011. This sign was brought along. [map]

The Irish Maid Do-Nuts store in Pine Bluff opened in 1961. The sign originally had neon. It was adapted for Daylight Donuts around 2018. By 2023, the sign was still painted blue but using the Irish Maid Do-Nuts name again. For more, see this website. I don't know of any other Irish Maid locations with these signs. [map]

Carl's Do-Nut Shop
Pomona, CA
2013: 2023:
The Carl's Do-Nut Shop sign might have been inspired by other donut-shaped signs. The "Burgers" text replacement piece must have updated the original wording on the sign at some point. This one has the wavy edge around the donut like the original Houston Shipley sign above. In 2023, the sign fell over but its fall was broken by a tree and was quickly reinstalled. The remaining neon was removed at that time from both panels. [map]

M&T Donut Shop
Compton, CA		 Jessie's
Donuts [gone]
River Oaks, TX		 Dutch Maid Donuts
Fort Worth, TX
The M&T Donut Shop sign was built in 1959 for Norman's Donuts. When the owner retired in 1978, he sold the shop to one of his employees. The business was renamed M&T Donuts after the new owners, Mattie and Thomas Roberts. The new name was painted onto the sign at that point. The sign is about 10 feet tall. The sign has been dark for many years. The bulbs in the chevron most likely flashed originally. The very top of the chevron has been bent over since around 2011. This photo is from 2013. [map]

Jessie's Donuts had been there since at least the 1970s. The sign had a slightly wavy edge like the Shipley Donuts neon sign in Houston shown above. Perhaps this was an adapted Shipley's sign. It does not appear to be a Dutch Maid Donuts sign since the outside is not wavy enough and it had a circular center. Jessie's closed around 2019. Around 2021, the sign was adapted for Cherry Kitchen & Catering. The new panels covered the donut hole and the panels below were removed. The entire sign was gone by 2022.

This Dutch Maid Donuts had no identification other than this cruller-shaped donut perched on the corner of the roof and a big sign below it reading "DONUTS". Around 2020, letters for MANNA Donuts were added to the roof. The top half of the donut has been painted pink and it is decorated with lights. The lower half is beige. [map]

Dutch Maid Do-Nut Shop
Haltom City, TX
2011: 2017:
The former Dutch Maid Do-Nut Shop in Haltom City featured the same design as the one above in Fort Worth. Around 2013, the Haltom City sign was reworked for Taqueria El Toro. The donut's hole was filled in and the text panel below was replaced. [map]

Donut Signs
page 1		 Donut Signs
page 2		 Donut Signs
page 3		 Donut Signs
page 4		 Donut Signs
page 5		 Donut Signs
page 7		 Dawn Donuts Mister Donut
Main SCA Article
Companion Page		 Main Signs Page