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| Sublime founder Kamal Grant (L) with noted food personality Alton Brown |
Popular intown doughnut shop expanding
Atlanta-based Sublime Doughnuts has secured a lease for a second local bakery. The popular intown doughnut shop will occupy suite 107, a 1,386 square foot space in The Village at Druid Hills, at 2566 Briarcliff Road. The center, at the intersection of North Druid Hills and Briarcliff Roads, is also home to a Willy's Mexicana Grill, Newk's Eatery, Tin Drum Asiacafe and Smallcakes, among other businesses. The suite that Sublime will occupy is sandwiched between Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Kiki's Pet Supply. The Sublime space was the last vacant space available in the center which was completed last year.
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| Lunchtime traffic issues at The Village at Druid Hills |
It's worth mentioning that the center is, well, how can I say this, A COMPLETE CLUSTER parking-wise during peak lunch hours. To add another morning/lunch oriented business to the area, seems ill-advised. In business terms, "traffic" is a good thing, but I'd caution that this may be one of those "too much of a good thing" scenarios. There is no doubt that Sublime is popular and that another store is a great step in expanding the business. I just worry that either traffic and or limited parking will affect their chances of success.
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| Sublime's space represented by the blank space above the blue awning |
Kamal Grant, Sublime's founder and co-owner, opened the first Sublime Doughnuts in 2008 in a former donut shop on 10th Street. With limited funds at the time, Kamal kept the original "DONUT" sign in place and later added his own branding around it.
With the success of Sublime came a book deal last year. Homemade Doughnuts: Techniques and Recipes for Making Sublime Doughnuts in Your Home Kitchenwas penned by Grant and published last February.
Speaking to Kamal at his shop, I enjoyed hearing him speak about his treats and how "healthy" they are. "Just like the Easter bunny, I (Grant) have never seen a calorie, therefore they don't exist." Grant added that his donuts "have one calorie." (Not only one, but they do have one...) The bakery's most publicly known branding message is "eat one that's worth it."
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| The new Sublime will sport the bakery's new logo |
Like the original location on 10th Street by Georgia Tech, the new store will be corporately owned and managed. According to the Sublime website, there are now not one, but two, franchised locations in Bangkok, Thailand.
Word is that the new store will feature new doughnut flavors as well as house-made ice cream and a new coffee and tea program. It's likely that the new ice cream flavors will be just as creative and edgy as the doughnut offerings. Something tells me bacon, the latest culinary trend to hit sweets, will be involved in both offerings.
Existing flavors include Maple Bacon Cheddar (Saturday only), A-Town Cream, Oreo Ice Cream Burger and Salted Caramel and Reduced Balsamic Vinegar.
With more funding and notoriety, it's understood that the new store will be more "professional," but I hope it won't become too "cookie cutter." Flying Biscuit Cafe was once such a cute, independent eatery, but after expanding and later franchising, is just another breakfast joint.
Sublime is not alone in Atlanta in bringing creative doughnuts to market. Upstart operation Bon Glaze has plans to open two locations in the coming months. One Bon Glaze store will be adjacent to bartaco in Buckhead, while the other will be located at the Brookleigh Marketplace on Johnson Ferry Road in Brookhaven.
While zero work has been done on the new Sublime space thus far, Grant hopes to be open by November.
Where would you like to see the next Sublime open? Do you think the new location will succeed or be impacted by parking problems? What doughnut/ice cream flavor would you like to see offered?
Please share your thoughts below.