We’re In A World Of “Hurts”

It’s a Hurts Donut World in Springfield, Full of Sweet Treats and Infectious Optimism

By Jay Murry

Most of us have all used the phrase “world of hurt” in some form of conversation. It usually evokes an effort of trying to overcome something that is painful and despairingly difficult. The year 2020 provided a world of hurt the size of Jupiter.

 Thankfully, we have turned the calendar page to 2021. We should also be thankful that we can put ourselves into a “world of Hurts”. A world of Hurts Donut, based in Springfield, Missouri. In that world, pain and pandemic despair are replaced for a little while by fun, sweet goodness, and hope.

Isn’t it about time we enter the atmosphere of the world of Hurts?

Genesis of Hurts Donut

When a new world is formed, the process is far more tumultuous than placid. Such was the case, in a good way, with Hurts Donut. According to husband-and-wife co-owners Kas and Tim Clegg, the mission statement of Hurts was to make their own donuts to eat rather than spend money at other donut shops. In a true confession, Kas says “it was cheaper to open a donut shop than to support my donut addiction. I was eating a six-pack of donuts per day!”

 To satisfy that addiction, the creation of a donut shop was a bit chaotic. Purchasing equipment on Craigslist was more of a leap of faith than most budding businesspeople are willing to take. Careful development and research in what they wanted to offer gave way to a bit of a scramble as they made their first donut just 12 hours before the grand opening.  Even the creation of the shop’s name was more whimsy than meticulous market research, according to Kas. “We just liked the old joke told by my husband’s grandfather. He was a boxer, and he used to playfully give Tim a ‘hurts donut’ all the time.”

Sounds more madcap than measured deliberation; but Kas says ample amounts of fun have been important to the success of Hurts. “We had a vision for a donut shop that was not like any other. When we train our employees, we always say that we want them to be as bright as the donuts in the case.”

Creating a business within an atmosphere of fun is tough enough. It is doubly tough over time to sustain success without seeing a jaded cooling of that fun into a hardened and boring crust. Kas tells us how she and Tim were able to have their fun and sell a lot of Hurts Donut too. “We have a really crazy bright donut shop—lots of colors, lots of different things that you wouldn’t see in another donut shop.”

As the world of Hurts Donut completed the orbit of its first year of business, it would soon show that it would be a different planet within the galaxy of other donut makers.

Exodus From The Ordinary

 It is not extreme hyperbole to state that there are as many varieties of Hurts Donut, as there are stars in the Milky Way. Kas notes that there are far more choices for the donut enthusiast in a world of Hurts than just the glazed, cake, powdered, and jelly standards. “We have over 70 varieties of classic and specialty donuts. We want things that are going to catch your eye. Sometimes we even say, ‘I don’t even know if anybody would want this, but we’re making a pickle-flavored glazed donut.”

The outer limits of donut exploration extend far beyond pickles. To paraphrase Captain James Tiberius Kirk from Star Trek, the acolytes in the world of Hurts boldly go where no donut makers have gone before. Kas lists some of the exotic flavors that have been brought to Hurts Donut. “We’ve done pizza donuts, we made history with our sausage and gravy stuffed donut, we’ve done root beer float donuts and banana split donuts. And you can pick any donut in our case, and we will make it into a donut milk shake for you.” Yep, and the donut becomes the lid for the shake, and the straw into the cup goes right through the donut hole.

 Kas adds that Hurts Donut went a light-year further, when COVID-19 shut down county fairs last summer. “When the fairs got cancelled, we had a fair food day! We did long johns with hot dogs inside and covered with chili and cheese; along with fried Oreo and funnel cake donuts.”

 

Astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.” Donut lovers are fortunate that the world of Hurts was created by imagination’s version of the Big Bang Theory.

Putting a Hurt On The Pandemic

When COVID descended upon us like a band of space invaders in early 2020, purveyors of food and drink had to adapt quickly and move nimbly to avoid becoming economic victims to the virus. Hurts Donut already was ahead of the COVID curve by establishing its now-famous quote of being open “25 hours a day, eight days a week”. The world of Hurts is even open on Christmas according to Kas. “We are a donation drop-off for people in need, and we deliver donuts and food and clothing as well.”

 Along with expanding its hours of operation, Hurts expanded its service footprint in an unconventionally fun way by making donut deliveries in an Emergency Donut Vehicle. An ambulance has been repurposed and wrapped to look like a chocolate-sprinkled long john. So, when COVID arrived, Hurts Donut already had evolved in a couple of ways to meet the economic challenges that the virus presented.

Kas says the owners forfeited their paychecks so their employees could continue to work, and then they put the Emergency Donut Vehicle to work—making deliveries and using it as a food truck where people could meet it and put the stress of the pandemic aside for a little while. “We really had some great days doing that, and it gave people who couldn’t get out because of COVID a chance to put smiles on their faces when the donut ambulance came out.”

 

In the world of Hurts, COVID has not been killed with kindness yet. But Hurts Donut has been able to move up several levels, instead of seeing GAME OVER on its video screen.

Revelations Of Hurts’ Future

When Hurts Donut opened in November of 2013, it had just learned how to make donuts by watching YouTube videos, and it had less than seven dollars in the bank. But, in 2016 and 2017, Hurts won the Springfield Business Journal Economic Impact of the Year Award for businesses one to five years in operation. Now, the world of Hurts is nationwide and will soon open its 17th location.

So, how does Hurts Donut keep its two hub locations in Springfield as viable as the ones in Tulsa, Tempe, and KC? “We just try to make it as consistent as possible companywide,” says Kas. “We have a lot of superfans who like to travel from store to store, so we’re working on a passport program for people who want to travel to all of the different stores.”

 

Consider this a passport to board a spaceship and put yourself in a world of Hurts…where donuts Hurts so good, and a company like Hurts Donut can spread its icing of good throughout the universe.

Sidebar

Hurts Donut is heavily involved in helping charitable endeavors championed by the owners and employees.  Of particular interest is multiple sclerosis, which afflicts Tim Clegg—a co-owner and the husband of Kas Clegg. Kas says Tim is doing well and thriving.  Kas adds that “the water bottles we sell benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society every day. We also have an MS Walk, MS Bike 150, and an MS Hurts Donut 5K run.”

For more information on the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, go to www.nationalmssociety.org.

Hurts Donut

320 Park Central W/1111 E. Republic Road, #164

Springfield, MO

(417) 719-4119/(417) 755-7574

www.wannahurts.com

Hours: 25 hours, 8 days a week

 

Bibliography: 

Telephone interview 1/22/2021, Kas Clegg, co-owner of Hurts Donut

Texting conversation 1/19/2021, Shelly Murry, student at Missouri State University 

Hurts Donut website, www.wannahurts.com 

Springfield Business Journal website, www.sbj.net

Goodreads website, www.goodreads.com (quote from astronomer Carl Sagan)

 Author Bio: 

Jay Murry is a freelance writer who frequents the magazines of Coffee Table Publishing: Best of Burlington, BrewView Vermont, and now BrewView MO.  Jay also is a special education paraprofessional at Fort Zumwalt West High School in O’Fallon, Missouri. Jay’s third hat involves being a play-by-play announcer at Washington University in St. Louis; where he is the “Voice of the Bears” in nine sports.