Before doughnuts came pizza, a movie, reading, playing cards, homework and conversation – anything to pass the time Monday night in line outside the new Rock Hill Krispy Kreme on Celanese Road.
After almost 10 months of waiting, the "hot" sign was switched on this morning at 6. In the first 90 minutes, the store sold more than 100 dozen glazed doughnuts and hundreds more are expected to be gone by the end of the day.
First through the door was Andrew Gossett of Rock Hill. He started his hot sign vigil at 4:30 p.m. Sunday and as the first customer will win a dozen glazed doughnuts every week for a year.
“It just worked out that way,” Gossett said, who arrived at the Krispy Kreme expecting to find a line of 50 to 60 people. Instead, the line would form behind him.
Gossett said he came for the challenge, the chance to meet people and consume a doughnut or two, although he admitted he doesn’t have a Krispy Kreme favorite. “I haven’t tried a lot of them,” he said.
His neighbor for the night, Kim Brechtel, said, “Nothing replaces Krispy Kreme. I grew up with Krispy Kreme.”
Brechtel and her husband, Mark Tait, had been talking for two weeks about being first in line. The Rock Hill couple, however, went to Sunday’s Carolina Panthers game first and then came to Krispy Kreme. Being second was OK, they said, as customers 2 through 99 receive one free dozen glazed doughnuts every month for a year.
For Brechtel and Tait waiting the night out for something coveted was nostalgic. The last time they spent a night in line was years ago, waiting to buy Grateful Dead tickets at the Camelot music store in Charlotte.
Others in line reported similar stories, they were either there for the challenge or the doughnuts or both.
Some were second-timers, having already spent the night at either the Indian Land store or the Cotswold store in Charlotte.
Alice Whitaker admitted she is one those “first” junkies. She was 88th in line at Indian Land and 44th in Rock Hill. She also was one of the first shoppers at a new Publix store and likes to be one of the first Black Friday shoppers.
“I do all the early stuff. It’s a challenge and there are the doughnuts. I don’t like them in the store, I like them hot,” he said.
For others, camping out at Krispy Kreme has been on their calendars since the Rock Hill store was announced in February.
Gabriel Paxton immediately told his mom they would be camping out for the opening of Krispy Kreme. Since the grand opening fell on the week of Paxton’s 17th birthday his mom, Wendy Ruth Paxton, made it part of his birthday celebration.
“He is a huge Krispy Kreme fan,” she said.
Turns out Gabriel’s mom is too. The night before her wedding in Louisiana, Wendy Ruth loaded up her bridal party and headed to the Baton Rouge Krispy Kreme where they consumed five dozen doughnuts before the wedding.
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Don Worthington 803-329-4066
