Hundreds gather in Overland Park for local donut shop, Slow Rise KC
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — At a time when small businesses all across the country are struggling to survive, there’s a small mom-and-pop donut vendor at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market that sells out week after week, before the market even opens.
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Slow Rise KC, a local bakery known for its slow-rise, sourdough donuts, has made quite the impression on the metro as hundreds gathered in line with blankets and lawn chairs as early as 4:30 a.m. Saturday to get a piece of the pie (or the donut).
These delicious morning treats are selling faster than the owners can keep up.
In fact, the owner of Slow Rise KC, Jessica Dunkel, and her family, can only make about 900 donuts a week in the small kitchen built at their house. That means, there are way more people in line than donuts available.
“Oh gosh. This is our third year and you would think that we by now are used to the line and we are not,” Dunkel said. “We’re so grateful for the customers who are very enthusiastic about our donuts, but there’s a lot of pressure for me personally to make sure that we have donuts for everybody in line. And I don’t. “
Because the sweet (or savory) treats are made from sourdough, they take three days to rise. In addition, many are filled with a unique or seasonal flavor that changes every week, leaving the customers coming back for more.
And Saturday morning was no exception.
For hours, families stood in line to grab just one single treat from the shop, including Sally Nelson, a grandma who took her grandson and traveled all the way from Florida to get a taste of the breakfast food.
“It’s delicious. Absolutely delicious,” Nelson said. “Worth the money. It’s really fresh. The filling is delicious… You can see how much is there. It’s soft and tasty. I can taste the sourdough taste.”
Dunkel says she is considering a brick-and-mortar store, but still cautiously crunching the numbers. She never thought the family’s little hobby would turn into this.
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“Most of the time we don’t [have enough] and we have to turn people away, and it breaks my heart,” Dunkel said. “Yes, it’s great to have people who show up and we’re very grateful, but we never want to turn people away.”
Slow Rise KC rotates between the Overland Park and Lawrence Farmer’s Markets on Saturday mornings. For more information, go to www.slowrise.co, or go to the bakery’s Facebook and Instagram page.
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