Popular Bluffton doughnut shop has new owners. Here’s what customers can expect
A popular Bluffton doughnut shop has new owners, and they are ready to reassure fans their favorite treats are not changing.
Troy and Kristie Derda recently purchased Alljoy Donut Co. from founders Bill and Donna Ellis. The Derdas have kept the staff and the recipes that were fine-tuned by Bill Ellis in his garage, where the business started.
Actually, the Derdas bought the garage, too.
The couple from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, were ready for a change of scenery after their two sons went off to college, so they started looking for a home to buy in Bluffton.
While viewing a property in the Alljoy area, their Realtor made an “off the cuff comment” that caught their attention, Kristie Derda said.
The Realtor told them the house was being sold by the owners of Alljoy Donut Co. and that the business was for sale, too.
“We looked up the company and tried the donuts on our next visit,” Kristie Derda said. “We just fell in love with it. ... Everything fell into place.”
Both the house and the business now belong to the Derdas.
Troy Derda is vice president of sales for a computer software company, and Kristie Derda has worked as a dental hygienist, ACT prep course instructor, a paralegal and a waitress. She also has her real estate license in Illinois.
The new owners have done some painting at Alljoy Donut Co. but are not planning wholesale changes.
“Bill and Donna put their heart and soul into it, and we are just happy to continue it,” Kristie Derda said.
The Ellises opened the storefront at 22 Thomas Heyward St. in Bluffton in late 2017, but the shop was actually years in the making while the couple found a suitable location and outfitted it. They made and gave away doughnuts to help spread word about the coming business, and for a time, customers could place orders on Facebook for doughnuts to be delivered. By the time the bakery opened, it already had a fan following.
Bill Ellis graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 1978, and he and Donna operated three restaurants in Kentucky before moving to Bluffton.
“My wife and I worked really hard over the years doing this,” Bill Ellis said. “We weren’t sure of how it would take off.”
It’s safe to say it took off splendidly, and often there is a line stretching from the case filled with colorful pastries out the door of the small cinder block building and into the tree-canopied parking lot. Savvy customers know to arrive early or risk their favorite flavor selling out.
“My favorite thing about it is it’s created that tradition of families coming in getting donuts,” Bill Ellis said. “That’s the sad part about it. I’m not going to be able to see all those people.”
The happy part about it is that the Ellis plan to retire to West Palm Beach, Florida, and are looking forward to the opportunity to travel.
Back in Bluffton, though, doughnut making still starts at midnight, and the shop is still open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“Right now, everything is working very well,” Kristie Derda said. “We’ve been asked to add additional days. ... For the time being, we don’t plan to expand our hours.”
Another tradition that will stay the same is a long winter break that the staff looks forward to, Kristie Derda said. Alljoy Donut Co. will close after the shift on Sunday, Dec. 19, and reopen the first weekend in February. The bakery also will be closed Friday, Nov. 26, for the Thanksgiving holiday.
