Southwest Detroit's Donut Villa reopens with drive-thru, modern updates
A community staple in southwest Detroit, Donut Villa, reopened this week with a fresh face after working out of a temporary location for the last year.
Located along West Vernor Highway since 1975, the donut and coffee shop evolved from a meeting place for day laborers on their commute into downtown’s bustling factories into the unofficial, official rendezvous for residents of Mexicantown.
Gabriel Gutierrez purchased the building in 2018 from its original owners and immediately got to work applying for grants to renovate the 1,500-square-foot pastry shop.
After having the idea to bust open the cemented-over drive-thru window from the building’s former life, Gutierrez learned he had to petition the Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals because of Vernor Avenue’s status as a historical mainstay.
The building’s facade improvements were redone thanks to a $10,000 Southwest Detroit Business Association grant focused on helping local businesses fight city fines.
“After receiving the grant, I was able to then dedicate some resources to open up this roof,” Gutierrez told Local 4.
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The shop’s S-shaped Formica countertops were given a fresh coat of bright orange paint and the building’s ceiling raised opening up the space. Donut Villa is now equipped with bathrooms and a fully operational drive-thru window.
Mother-daughter duo Mercedes and Liliana Santos live in the community around Donut Villa, and said the shop feels bigger and like more of a community
"Especially because of (the) COVID-19 (pandemic) there's not a lot of places for the people to go and feel comfortable," said Santos. "It's so beautiful in here now and we really missed having our spot to go together after school and church."
Gutierrez comes from a family of entrepreneurs who’ve made a lasting imprint on southwest Detroit, his parents Lydia and Richard Gutierrez founded Hacienda Mexican Foods, at 6016 West Vernor, in the early 1990s and his grandparents established La Michoacana Tortilla Factory, located at 3428 Bagley Street, in 1940.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions made it difficult for Donut Villa to service customers in 2022, Gutierrez temporarily moved his operation down the block to his parent's kitchen.
What started as a simple renovation plan in 2020, turned into supply chain delays, zoning appeals, and community petitions.
SDBA's program sponsors pulled out in March 2023 and SDBA is looking for new sponsors.
“We’ve been able to do about $3.4 million in renovations in southwest Detroit and support these businesses for these last 17 years, but we definitely can’t stop,” CEO of SDBA Laura Chavez told Local 4. “We need sustainable funding to continue to do this.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Donut Villa reopens with drive-thru, modern updates
