SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Saturday, March 21, was the last day for Tony’s Donut Shop, the popular bakery at 1095 Broadway.
Owner Rick Fornier instead plans to expand the original Tony’s operation, at 9 Bolton St. in Portland.
That shop was opened in 1965 by Fornier’s father, Antonio. After his father’s death in 2005, Rick Fornier took over the family business. He expanded to South Portland about two years ago.
But since then, complications from knee surgery have made it tough for him to manage both locations.
“Trying to keep your eye on two places at once is just too difficult because [employees] want the owner in the store all the time,” Fornier said on Thursday morning. He also likes to stay close to both shops because he’s “very fussy” about his products’ taste.
Fornier is selling his space to David Jenks, the owner of a Domino’s pizza shop less than half a mile away at 980 Broadway. Jenks plans to move his business to the new, larger location, according to Fornier.
Meanwhile, Fornier intends to expand his Portland shop and to offer specialty coffee drinks and new pastries there.
Work on the Bolton Street bakery will begin once the weather is warmer, he said. After that, it will likely take six to eight months before the building is ready for business.
“We will move slow. I want everything done right,” Fornier said.