A Marshall County Original
The History of Krispy Kreme Donuts
Written by Justin Lamb
Founder Vernon T. Rudolph was born and raised in the Heights community in Marshall County.
For years, Krispy Kreme has been serving delicious donuts to millions of customers all across the world. Yet very few know that the multi-million dollar company’s humble beginnings can be traced back to right here in Marshall County where founder Vernon Rudolph first began selling the delicious treat.
Vernon Rudolph was born on June 30, 1915 in the Heights community located in between Fairdealing and Aurora just before you cross the Jonathan Creek Bridge. After graduating from high school, Rudolph moved to Paducah around 1933 and went to work for his uncle Ishamel Armstrong in his Hill Street grocery. About a year later, his uncle bought a donut shop on Broadway and a recipe from John LeBeau, a Frenchman from New Orleans. The young Rudolph was recruited to peddle the new donuts throughout Paducah on a bicycle, and soon after, Rudolph was taught the recipe and learned everything there was to know about the business.
Profits were slim, however, due to the Great Depression, so Rudolph and his uncle left Kentucky and headed south to Nashville hoping to make it big. The move was a bust unfortunately and the two soon returned home. Discouraged, Armstrong was looking to sell the company and recipe to Rudolph, but Rudolph didn’t have enough money to cover the purchase. Rudolph’s father, Pulmey Rudolph who once owned a grocery store in Heights, stepped in and purchased the shop in Nashville. The donuts soon became very popular throughout the area and Vernon Rudolph’s brothers and sisters became part of the family operation. The business began to take off and a second shop was opened in Charleston, West Virginia in 1936, and then a third in Atlanta, Georgia.
Despite the moderate success, Vernon Rudolph still had a bigger dream of owning his own shop and taking the product to a national level, so in 1937 with only $200 in his pocket and some start up donut equipment, Rudolph and two of his friends took off in a 1936 Pontiac looking to start their own shop. The trio tried several failed locations and one night in Peoria, Illinois, 22 year old Vernon Rudolph was contemplating his next move. His money and luck was starting to run out and he was unsure of where to move his operation for the best success. He took a pack of Camel cigarettes out of his pocket and noticed the label which read ‘manufactured in Winston-Salem, N.C.’ “Why not Winston-Salem?” Vernon thought, “A town with a company producing a nationally advertised product has to be a good bet.” So off to North Carolina they went.
With only $25 to his name, Rudolph and his partners rented a space on Main Street in Winston-Salem and began selling their product wholesale to local grocery stores. The scent of the cooking donuts caught the attention of many passer-bys and soon they began asking to buy the hot donuts, so Rudolph cut a hole in an outside wall and began selling his product to customers on the sidewalk. As word began to spread, Rudolph began to profit and as the years passed, the company flourished.
In 1947, Rudolph sold franchises and formed the Krispy Kreme Corporation and he became President and Chairman. Rudolph remained at the helm of the company until his death at age 58 on August 6, 1973. Today, Krispy Kreme remains a nationally recognized name with donut shops all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico.