Site of the Original Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop

While visiting Old Salem, Winston Salem's historic district, founded by Moravian settlers in 1766, not only can you tour period homes with period decorations, walk brick sidewalks, and explore Salem College, you can also find a commemorative plaque that marks the spot of the original Krispy Kreme doughnut shop! The doughnut shop was founded in 1937 by Vernon Rudolph who bought the famous secret doughnut recipe from a French pastry chef.

Rudolph rented an old warehouse on the corner on S. Main Street and what is now W. Academy Street and started baking his delicious confections over 80 years ago! The smell coming from the warehouse attracted locals, so Rudolph cut a hole in the wall to let folks see the original glazed doughnuts being made!

This act of allowing folks to watch the doughnuts coming right off of the line was the beginning of the whole Krispy Kreme experience leading to what we now have today as production viewing areas within Krispy Kremes. See the "Hot Doughnuts" sign, come to watch the doughnuts being made, and take home a dozen glazed doughnuts that melt in your mouth! While the warehouse no longer stands today, you can still visit the site where it all began way back in 1937!