Voodoo Doughnut set to open first Arizona location in Tempe

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — The famous Portland-based Voodoo Doughnut will open its 19th location, its first in Arizona, later this year in Tempe.

The very first shop opened 20 years ago in Oregon. While doing research, Kenneth Pogson and Richard Shannon III noticed that downtown Portland didn’t have a donut shop and saw a great opportunity. The shop first gained national attention a few months after it opened in May 2003 in between two nightclubs, according to their website. After that first exposure, the shop has been featured an a variety of channels and programs, including The Travel Channel, The Cooking Channel, MTV and, of course, the hit comedy sketch show set in Portland, “Portlandia,” starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.

The store itself features a wide variety of creations, ranging from vegan and regular old-fashioned donuts to the popular Bacon Maple Bar (with actual bacon) and a cinnamon sugar donut sprinkled with cayenne pepper and a dried red chili pepper sticking out of it. The new Tempe location will feature the store’s signature pink color with a vibrant and colorful interior. All of the artwork will be commissioned from local artists and there will be a patio (hopefully with umbrellas and misters for the hot Phoenix summer).

“We’ve been exploring the Arizona market for a while as part of our continuous growth strategy, and we’re excited to finally bring our doughnuts to Tempe,” Voodoo Doughnut CEO Chris Chultz said in the release. “We can’t wait to become a part of the local community.”

The company announced the future location of the shop, 1324 S. Rural Road, but no opening date has been revealed.