COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Ralph's Donuts in Cookeville may soon receive national historic recognition, but for locals, it's already a treasured institution where community connections are made daily.
Sandy and John MacDonald bought the the iconic donut shop, which has been serving the community since 1962, in 2020. In the five years since taking ownership, they've made just one small change.
"Yes. New light bulbs," John said. said. "Other than that, nothing."
Every greeting and every glazed donut pays tribute to the legacy started by the original founders – Evelyn and Ralph.
"He would say nothing's changed," John said.
The MacDonalds intentionally preserved the shop's character when they purchased it.
"I think a lot of the businesses here try to keep that personal hometown feel," Sandy said.
For newcomers to Cookeville, Ralph's quickly becomes a gathering place.
"We started coming in here because it was a great place, being new to town, to meet people," said Mel Lowman.
When asked how long it took to feel comfortable at Ralph's, Mel replied, "Oh right away."
The shop has become such a fixture in their lives that Mel's wife has a special name for it.
"She calls it daddy day care," he said. "Quite often she would drop me off here to do her shopping. They take care of me!"
The MacDonalds see more than just customers when they look around their shop.
"Friends," Sandy said when asked what she sees.
Among those friends is Dallas, who John describes as: "the reason Ralph's is what Ralph's is today."
Ralph's Donuts is now in the running for the National Register of Historic Places. It's one of four nominations by the Tennessee Historical Commission, with the final decision resting with the National Park Service.
"Very exciting! I'm a little nervous about it, like, oh are we gonna [make] the team, or not," Sandy said.
But regardless of official historic designation, what makes Ralph's special is the community it fosters.
"Yeah we look forward to 'em every day," John said. "They don't come in, we may be calling 'hey – everything good?'" the owners said about their regular customers.
As for those new light bulbs – that only change made in years?
"I think the light bulbs will be good for a few years," John said.
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