Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Amy Joy Donut Shops, a small chain that abandoned Illinois.

The Amy Joy Donuts that was the closest to me was located at 7248 North Milwaukee Avenue in Niles, Illinois, just north of Touhy.
Amy Joy Donuts on Milwaukee and Touhy Avenues, Niles, Illinois.
The owner, Herman Blattner, offered over 60 varieties of donuts and sweet rolls. Some flavors and combinations that I'd never seen before or since, like banana frosting on a chocolate cake donut, Honey Dew Mellon, Raisin Sticks, Maple Pecan, and so many others.

New Amy Joy Donut Shop, 2030 West Stadium Boulevard , Ann Arbor, Michigan, August 1961.
Believe it or not, Amy Joy had only three varieties of Prune donuts, very popular among the senior crowd. It's the size of their donuts that really stood out. They were about one and one-half times the size of a Dunkin Donuts.




Amy Joy Donuts Illinois Locations:
  • Amy Joy Donuts, 8517 S Cottage Grove, Chicago. (Oct. 1958 Southeast Economist)
  • Amy Joy Donuts, 6330 N Milwaukee, Chicago. 200 feet south of Superdawg but on the west side of Milwaukee at Devon, in the little triangle strip mall. (July 1958 Chicago White Pages); later moved to Milwaukee & Touhy at 7248 North Milwaukee Avenue, Niles.
  • Amy Joy Donuts, 6208 N Kimball, Chicago. (July 1958 Chicago White Pages)
  • Amy Joy Donuts, 3600 W Montrose, Chicago. (July 1958 Chicago White Pages)
  • Amy Joy Donuts, 4147 N Harlem, Norridge. (July 1960 Chicago White Pages)
  • Amy Joy Donuts, 6646 S Pulaski, Chicago. (July 1960 Chicago White Pages)
  • By 1969, Amy Joy Donuts at 6646 S Pulaski, Chicago, was the only one listed in the Chicago White Pages.
The trade name was registered in Illinois in 1957.



Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

5 comments:

  1. I discovered the shop after I moved out of the area.
    Stumbled across it by accident on a trip back there.
    Oh man, was it Heaven ! I remember the banana frosting on chocolate cake. IT WAS INCREDIBLE !!! There was also chocolate frosting on a banana donut and a banana frosting rippled over a chocolate frosted regular donut.
    I laughed at the three prune donuts-- prune filled, prune frosting, and prune cake. The gal behind the counter smiled, shrugged, and said "They're very popular with our old customers.
    Now that I am older I wish I had some.
    Years later I wandered back into the NW suburbs hoping to find the shop again. My passenger had one of those new smartphones and looked up the address. Excited I drove us toward Donut Mecca.....
    ...and found a mini-mall where the Amy Joy was supposed to be.

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  2. In the late 1970s I worked for the Park Ridge News Agency driving a canvas backed newspaper delivery truck and dropping off bundles of papers for paper carries and stores such as Walgreens. One of my routes on the weekend had me stop at Amy Joy in Niles to drop off the Sun Times and Tribune that they sold in the donut shop. Of course, I often purchased a few donuts after the delivery. I remember they had a terrific variety of tasty donuts to choose from. Now miss the place!

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  3. I recall the Amy Joy on South Pulaski in Chicago. My family seldom ordered food from any restaurant, but a very occasional treat from Amy Joy was always celebrated, especially by us kids!

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  4. I lived in Park Ridge in the mid-80s and never knew of any Amy Joy except the one in Niles. I loved their chocolate and vanilla creme filled donuts, which were similar to Dunkin Donuts but 100 times better. Maybe 1000. I used to buy at least a dozen and have them as dessert on Sunday night. I loved the Niles location for the architecture almost as much as I loved the donuts. And there was always an older crowd hanging around at the counter drinking coffee. I was very sad when they closed in the late 90s.

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  5. In high school I had a part time job at a discount store on Harlem Ave in Norridge. There was an Amy Joy nearby where we would go for a donut on our breaks. Later, I found the store on Milwaukee in Niles and would stop there to bring donuts home for my kids. My favorit was blueberry cake.

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