Last week, Jack’s Donuts of Anderson opened within walking distance of campus.
Jack’s Donuts first opened in 1961 in New Castle, Indiana. Jack Marcum had been working in a donut shop when he realized that he could just as easily make his own, envisioning a family business that could be passed down through the generations. After creating recipes and opening his first store, his vision became a reality.
Marcum passed down his donut shop and responsibilities to his son who then in turn passed them down to his son, the current owner and CEO, Lee Marcum.
Marcum recognized that the industry was growing and decided to franchise Jack’s Donuts, opening a new location in Fishers in 2008. As business was steady and the demand for donuts high, Jack’s has since then expanded. The Anderson shop is the business’ 17th location.
The owner of the Anderson franchise, Mark Bowers, has known the Marcum family for almost his entire life. Operating his own T-shirt and graphics business, Sideline Graphix in New Castle, Bowers has created the shirts for Jack’s Donuts since 2010.
Bowers stayed in contact with Marcum, and when the idea arose to franchise the donut business, he helped design the shirts. Bowers then became involved in the promotion and idea of an Anderson location.
“I knew being in New Castle that Jack’s was kind of hidden from people around here,” he said. “I wanted to bring the donuts to those who had never experienced them before.”
His partner, Shawn Hunt, asked Bowers if he would be interested in going in on a Jack’s Donuts franchise. Their confidence in the product was what drove them to look into expanding the business in the Anderson area.
“When I approached Lee about an Anderson location, he said it was a no brainer,” Bowers said. “We wanted to get inside a community where the population would be the best.”
After finding a building that could house their specific amenities, the doors were soon opened and the people were extremely enthusiastic.
A post on the Jack’s Donuts Facebook page about the new store coming to Anderson was shared over 20,000 times, receiving 90,000 responses. Bowers said the public was talking about this location more than any other.
This fueled their hope for the prosperity of the Anderson store.
Jack’s officially opened its Anderson doors on Monday, April 2, and has since realized that the demand for their donuts is extremely high.
“We have been running out every night,” Bowers said. “Right now, we’ve got 13 employees here. We have learned quickly that this is not enough.”
Jack’s is looking to hire more people as they are in the process of expanding their setup. Within the next month or so they hope to supply espresso, smoothies and a drive-thru.
Bowers believes that Jack’s is set apart from other donut businesses because they consistently provide 45 different types of donuts made from scratch. The recipes were passed down through the generations and everything in the store is handmade.
New donuts are made every night, and nothing is carried over. Jack’s prides itself on fresh and quality products.
Though they may seem pricier than competing businesses, Bowers is confident that Jack’s will sustain itself in the Anderson area because of the atmosphere and the overall product.
“Before you judge on the price,” he said, “come and try our donuts—see the size and taste them. Jack’s Donuts is a donut experience. You are paying for a lot more than just that donut.”
Wanting to be more than just a business, Jack’s in Anderson is looking forward to engaging with the community.
“We are going to provide jobs, keep our building up, do new things and be involved in schools. We want to be embedded in Anderson as a whole,” said Bowers. “Anything that goes on, I want there to be a Jack’s logo because we are helping out. Not just for advertising, but because we want to be present.”
Quality and freshness is important to Jack’s, and they are confident that they will be set apart by their product and the experience of their store.
Jack’s Donuts is located at at 1909 University Blvd in Anderson. They are open everyday from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.