St. Patrick’s Day 2018 got off to a festive start in Edmonds as scores of hungry caffeine- and sugar-deprived doughnut lovers lined up for the long-awaited 7 a.m. opening of Top Pot Doughnuts, just off Sunset Avenue in the Salish Crossing complex.
“I got here at 3:30 a.m.,” said JoAnne C., a 25-year Edmonds resident and frequent waterfront walker who requested that her last name not be used. “No one else was here, so I left to go grocery shopping. I got back here around 6, and have been waiting ever since.”
“This is our 23rd store, and geographically our furthest northwest,” said store manager and company co-founder Mark Klebeck. “Three of our locations are in Dallas, and 20 are here in the Seattle area.”
The first Top Pot opened Feb. 8, 2002 in Seattle on Capitol Hill’s Summit Avenue, with eight employees. Since then, it has attracted a loyal following of dedicated customers who swear that Top Pot makes the best doughnuts in the known universe.
“When we first decided to open a specialty doughnut shop, we were kind of at a loss for a name,” explained Klebeck. “My partners and I are very into retro décor, and wanted to incorporate a vintage feel in our store. While shopping various salvage dealers for materials, we found this cool old sign that I think came originally from a Chinese restaurant. It said ‘Top Spot’ in big neon letters. That sounded like a great name to us, and we were all set to call our shop Top Spot Doughnuts.
“We had the sign refurbished with new neon, but as we were transporting it, the big S fell off on the freeway and was ruined,” he continued. “Looking at the damage, it struck us that Top Pot is a palindrome (reads the same backward and forward). We thought that was very cool, so instead of going back for repairs, we decided that our name would be Top Pot Doughnuts.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. The Capitol Hill location soon established Top Pot as something of a cult favorite, drawing increasing numbers of customers from outside the neighborhood. As word of Top Pot spread, the partners opened more locations, with the latest right here in Edmonds.
There are still a few things to be finished at the Edmonds store as contractors complete the stairs and railings to the upstairs library loft, which features comfy chairs and stacks of books obtained from the Friends of the Seattle Library. According to Klebeck, the loft should be open in about a week.
And as the weather gets warmer, patrons will be able to enjoy their doughnuts and coffee with outdoor views of the Olympics from the upper deck.
An involved corporate citizen, Top Pot supports several Northwest charities and causes. One of their biggest events is the annual Top Pot Doughnut Dash at Green Lake in support of Child Haven, coming up this year on April 29. According to Klebeck, Top Pot will be looking for opportunities to continue this tradition in Edmonds.
“We’re so excited to be in the Edmonds community,” continued Klebeck. “This is such a vibrant town with great people, parks, views, a great art scene and more — the perfect place for a Top Pot Doughnut shop!”
This morning’s crowd of customers couldn’t agree more.
— Story, photos and video by Larry Vogel
Top Pot does make the best doughnuts! Welcome to our community. I’m sure it will become another family favorite.
Welcome to Edmonds Top Pot! Hoping you will have some gluten free donuts for those of us who can only look at all the lovelies you make.
Hey Top Pot – I’ll be there tomorrow looking for buttermilk dunkers! 🙂 can’t wait!
Save me a pink feather boa!