Nearly a year and a half after making its debut, Landline Doughnuts hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Landline Doughnuts and Coffee has been serving up hot potato doughnuts since June 25, 2022 at 321 Main Street.
“It started as an empty nest project,” said Co-owner John Mowery.
“Our kids were just about done with college, and we decided to sell potato doughnuts at farmers markets since we had the time,” said Jodi Mowery, co-owner.
The business grew from there. Pretty soon, the Mowery couple were delivering doughnuts to order during the pandemic.
“We had a food truck, too, but the thing about a food truck is that people ask where you’re going to be and when. They want to get the same doughnut next week, but you might not be nearby,” John Mowery said.
The Mowerys realized that their growing business needed a storefront. The couple went to work renovating the space on Main Street, turning the street-level front into the doughnut shop and the upstairs into their home. “It’s a short commute to the office,” joked John Mowery.
“The best part about Landline is the community,” Jodi Mowery said. “We see grandparents with their grandkids, and we watch people celebrate birthdays and have first dates. We’ve got people who come every Thursday on their way to work. It’s a special place.”
Landline hosts a weekly Bluegrass Jam on Tuesday evenings, beginning at 5 p.m.
John and Jodi Mowery use a doughnut recipe that replaces about a third of the flour found in traditional doughnuts with riced, mashed potatoes. The addition of potatoes began in the 1930s as a way to stretch costly flour by replacing it with a cheaper and more readily available starch. John and Jodi Mowery found that they preferred the unique, chewy texture of potato doughnuts to the airier version made only with flour.
The Mowerys use a variety of flavorful glazes and sprinkles to finish off their signature pastries.
Cindy Stahly has been mixing up the dough at Landline since the couple first opened their doors.
“I started just kind of giving my time because I was between jobs and it was a fun project. I helped out for two months because everyone was so wonderful. Finally, they demanded that they pay me and officially hire me to work,” Stahly said. She has been a fixture at the shop ever since. “I love it here,” she added.
Most of the shop’s employees are teenagers who have also found a passion for doughnuts and customer service. Many were on hand at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“It took us a long time to get here because we were just so busy,” Jodi Mowery said.
