by David Croyle
A new donut shop in East Kittanning is satisfying even the most extravagant taste buds while employing individuals with unique challenges.
48-year-old Barb Goldinger from Kittanning Township and her mother, Marge Check, from Manor Township became business partners in Funky Monkey donuts. Goldinger said they opened November 19 with an idea they had from vacationing in the Outer Banks.
“They have a donut shop down there called Duck Donuts. And we always really liked it. So we figured we would try to incorporate some transitional training from the local agencies and see how it went. That’s how we got the idea, and we decided to try it out.”
The idea of opening a business was more than just figuring out what to sell. Goldinger and her husband, Doug, have a 22-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome. She attends life skills classes at LifeSteps, but Goldinger wanted to provide training for her and others like her for future employment.
Donut maker Marge Check keeps a constant watch on the donuts while they are frying while granddaughter Megan Goldinger prepares the donuts for customization.
“We were looking for somewhere for her to work. It’s very difficult in this area. There really aren’t a lot of opportunities. So we decided to open this up, try it out. The LifeSteps organization comes and brings transition students through. We do trainings so they can get a job some day. That was our main goal for this - and then hopefully some day, hire them to work here.”
Daughter, Megan, was also instrumental in naming the donut shop.
“The name came from our daughter - she likes monkeys. So we put it together and came up with a logo and thought it was catchy and cute, so we decided to keep the Funky Monkey.”
The donut shop is unique. Cake donuts are fried while you wait. Then customers can decide on five glazes and at least 10 different toppings. Goldinger said the variations in toppings came from customer suggestions. They also feature a unique monthly special taste - such as Hot Chocolate during January.
Goldinger said the customers love the concept.
“It is growing. I think people are now just hearing about us and coming and trying it out. We have repeat customers, which we are thrilled about. We have old, young - all ages. We were nervous because this is a different concept that isn’t up here in this area. So we were nervous about people catching on to the cake donut that you customize yourself. But it’s been fantastic! Everybody just loves it.”
They only sell coffee, cold drinks, and donuts.
Donut designer Barb Goldinger customizes a personalized creation for her customer at the Funky Monkey.
“We have tried to stay competitive with pricing from Dunkin’ Donuts. But we offer a different product. Our product is fresh. You customize it with as many toppings as you want. We try to keep it competitive.”
The shop started on a shoestring budget and a lot of research.
“Our donut maker we bought off of a guy who made them in Rural Valley a few years ago. We sell Curly Tail Coffee. It’s a local roaster from Lower Burrell. We got together with Nicole Waltenbaugh and we sell her fresh roasted coffee. We had names of a couple of different people but we went with Nicole. We just clicked.”
Momma Marge is the donut maker, and Goldinger is the donut designer.
“I hope it branches out. I hope we get a lot more people coming in and trying it,” Goldinger said. “We would like to be busy enough to hire some people - high schools kids, and people with intellectual disabilities. We hope it gets bigger then we can expand as it grows.”
The East Kittanning business is located in the same building as Plaza Electric, next to Dairy Queen.
LifeSteps participants Megan Goldinger, Alicia Maycock and Michael Anderson fold boxes while working at the Funky Monkey.