Dutch Girl Donuts Opens Second Detroit Shop

Paddy Lynch snagged the Howrani Studios building at 2820 East Grand Boulevard. He'll launch a second Dutch Girl Donuts location there this spring. The buyer revealed his purchase Wednesday, tacking another property onto his roster of Detroit icons.

The main storefront will host the new shop when spring arrives. Other sections of the structure can accommodate private gatherings and celebrations. Ara Howrani and his family's photography operation will stay put.

Doughnuts at the new location will come from the original 19000 Woodward site, which traces back to the 1940s.

Lynch runs Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors as a third-generation director. He acquired the original Dutch Girl Donuts in late 2023. The Timmer family founded it in 1947, and three generations operated that Woodward Avenue shop near Seven Mile with its famous blue awning until 2021.

Lynch has assembled a collection of cherished Detroit sites. He purchased Detroit's Kresge Estate back in 2011, then spent a decade restoring it. In 2017, he bought the Schvitz, a bathhouse with history in Detroit's North End. Last summer, Lynch snapped up the Dakota Inn Rathskeller, a German biergarten and restaurant that's over 90 years old and was family-run, from third-generation operator Karl Kurz.

Ameen Howrani launched the photography operation in 1965. He bought the building in 1981, renovated it, and installed his studio in the storefront. He passed away in 2010. Ara Howrani has carried on his late father's work since then.

The building stands nearly a century old with loft-style character. Ara Howrani serves clients ranging from ad agencies to media companies and other enterprises, while also mentoring young people in the studio's neighborhood.