Photo / Maureen Milliken
Owners of Frosty's Donuts said proximinity to the State House is one of the things they like about the new Augusta location. The shop is just a block south of the capitol building.
Updated: August 9, 2019
Frosty's Donuts opens Augusta shop, its fifth
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Frosty's Donuts celebrated its Augusta opening Friday with a ribbon-cutting. It's the fifth shop for the Brunswick-based company. From left, Stuart Obdal, Shelby Obdal, Nels Obdal, Cathy Obdal and Katie Doherty, CEO and president of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce.
By Maureen Milliken
Customers crowded into the dining area of the Augusta Frosty's Donuts, jockeying for a spot along with those gathered to celebrate the coffee and doughnut shop's ribbon-cutting Friday morning.
The Frosty's Donuts at 256 State St., just down the street from the State House, is the fifth shop for the Brunswick-based business and joins three others opened by owners Nels and Shelby Omdal since they bought it from founders Bob and June Frost in 2011.
"We're excited that Frosty's has expanded to its second location in the Kennebec Valley," Katie Doherty, CEO and president of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce told Maienbiz before Friday's morning ribbon-cutting. "Frosty's is a true icon, and we're so happy to have them here."
Frosty's opened in Brunswick in in 1965. Since buying Frosty's, the Omdals have opened shops in Freeport, in 2012; Bath, in 2013; and Gardiner, the other Kennebec Valley store, in 2014.
Shelby Omdal said the business had its eye on Augusta, and when the State Street property became available earlier this year, they snatched it up.
She told Mainebiz they like everything about the location. "It's one of the best business decisions we've ever made," she said. "The traffic, the customer base, the location right near to the State House."
She said the city was welcoming and made the move easy.
Growth and legacy
The 4,000-square-foot wood frame building, built in 1950, most recently was home to Fat Cats Cafe, which closed in May. Before that, it was Al's Pizza for many years.
State Street is U.S. Route 201, and a main north-south artery along the Kennebec River. Besides being close to the capitol complex, the location is just a mile north of downtown Hallowell.
The Omdals' brand includes a strong nod to the founders, including a throwback sign with "hand cut since 1965" under the name. Frosty's website mentions the founders prominently.
When the Omdals bought the business, Frost showed them the ropes. “He was just thrilled to have a young couple that was ambitious and could take over what he created and take it to a place that he wanted to," Nels Omdal said.
When Bob Frost died in June, Nels Omdal told the Times-Record, “For years and years, my family would come here and I would say if there’s one business to buy, it’s this one,” said Omdal, who's originally from Colorado. “I was like 'Wow, these are the best doughnuts I ever had.' ”
A true family business, their son Nick tagged along for the ribbon-cutting. Nels Omdal's parents, Stuart and Cathy Omdal, also took part of the ribbon-cutting, Stuart adjusting the sign just minutes before the ceremony was set to take place. They're instrumental to Frosty's success, Shelby Omdal said.
In 2014, the Omdals opened a production center at Brunswick Landing, but sold it last year, Shelby Omdal said. All the production is done at the 54 Maine St. location in Brunswick, where Frost moved what was then Spudnuts from its location near Bowdoin College, and renamed it Frosty's.
"We wanted to bring [production] back to Maine Street," she said. They cut back a little on wholesale operations, but still have more than 40 wholesale customers, ranging from Scarborough north to Augusta.
The business employs around 45 people, and they are looking to hire at the Augusta location she said.
Attending this morning's ribbon-cutting was Bill Card, economic development specialist for the Maine District Office of the Small Business Administration.
"We're thrilled to have Frosty's here," he said. "We're thrilled to have a small business here."
He said that as a consumer, he "goes back four decades with Frosty's." The new location is a few blocks from his Sewall Street office. But he said, more important, is what it brings to the area.
"Frosty's is a landmark, it's an institution," he said.
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