Hot Doughnuts Now
Gary Weiner keeps his eye on the doughnut.
Being denied a hot glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut for four months does weird things to people.
Like make you blow your kids’ shot at perfect attendance in school.
That revered "HOT DOUGHNUTS NOW" sign in the front window of the West Broad Street franchise beckons to everyone, and in the late fall of 2000, the lure was too strong for Gary Weiner.
A self-proclaimed Krispy Kreme lover, father of three, and owner of one of Richmond’s iconic businesses, Saxon Shoes, Weiner and his children had been at Krispy Kreme on July 23, 2000, the last opportunity to snag a dozen or two doughnuts before the store closed for good. Built in 1959, it was scheduled for demolition over the next few months with eventual building and reopening in the same location.
"Me and my kids were at Krispy Kreme the last day before they closed, and we were at the Krispy Kreme the day they [re] opened," Weiner said – which was Nov. 14, 2000.
In other words, a school day.
"The line to get doughnuts ... was so long down the street that I actually made my kids ruin their perfect attendance so that we could stay and get doughnuts."
He added: "I was so surprised to hear from Tuckahoe Middle School that getting Krispy Kreme doughnuts was not an excused absence. How could that not be?"
Weiner, 52, loves Krispy Kreme – and Richmond, a place he has called home all of his life.
His parents opened Children’s Orthopedic Footwear in 1953 on East Grace Street in the heart of the city. They had one employee. Today, Saxon Shoes – as it was later renamed by the family after a well-known shoe store in London – sits proudly among Short Pump Town Center’s retail giants like Macy’s, Pottery Barn and more. It is one of the largest independent shoe stores in the nation.
"Now we do more business before lunch on Saturdays than my parents did [their] first year in business," Weiner said. And like many family businesses, "everybody in my family has been involved" in the store.
Weiner said he enjoys the city’s outdoor concert and music events. He caught the legendary ZZ Top at Innsbrook earlier this year during the Innsbrook After Hours Concert series. Restaurants like Millie’s Diner, on the fringe of Richmond’s historic Church Hill neighborhood, and Kitchen 64, just off the interstate bearing its name, are among his favorites.
Weiner said one of Richmond’s best features is the James River.
"I grew up on the river, water-skiing, kneeboarding," he said. "To this day, if the chance comes up, I’m the first one in the water."
This article originally published in Discover Richmond. Click here to view more Discover articles, or send us an e-mail to request a copy of the magazine.
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