Boogyz Donuts to close May 30
The quaint University City doughnut shop opened in late February 2020.
Courtesy Boogyz
We loved everything about Boogyz Donuts: The tiny storefront. The waggish name. The "weekends only" hours. The affable owner, Jamil “Boogy” Jabbar, assisted by his equally engaging father, Zorro. The fact that Jabbar wisely shifted concepts in the shop's early planning stages from bagels to doughnuts, when he discovered St. Louis’ endless craving for the versatile sweet. And that he was able to survive—even thrive—when the pandemic hit. On most days, the jam-packed doughnut case was empty by late morning.
The shop was known for its wide assortment of cereal-, candy-, and icing-topped creations, a plate-size apple fritter, and Vegan Fridays. But it was Jabbar’s craggly take on the old-fashioned that made it the perfect dunking doughnut. It was the variety that we craved the most.
The shop will close for good, however, after service this Sunday, May 30. A post on Boogyz’ Facebook page reads, in part, “despite unwavering support…after sincere thought and consideration, we’ve decided to set our sights on new goals and are closing Boogyz.”
Fear not, though, fans of the fritter: There may be another chapter to the Boogyz story. The Facebook post ends, “Don’t think of this as a goodbye but a see you later! Please continue to watch our social media for upcoming news on Boogyz."
Reached this morning, Jabbar told SLM that although the business was successful, the existing model wasn't, so it was time to hit the pause button. "It was a big step just to step back," he says, "but I need to take time to brainstorm my ideas. Sometimes you have to let go to grow." He says he will start the "mental clarity" process by taking the next month off.
He adds that he plans to stay in the doughnut business and the logical next step is to look for a building to buy. "That might take six months, it might take a year," he says.
