Sandy’s Timeline
The Story of How Sandy’s Donuts Came to Be
Let us tell you a story about a man named Sandy and his love for donuts. Sandy Ostlund, a native of West Fargo, North Dakota, learned how to make donuts in a cast iron pan over a coal-burning stove with his mom and her very own buttermilk recipe.
When Sandy turned 52 and was looking for a new job, a good friend of his suggested that he open a donut shop. Sandy found a bakery in West Fargo that had closed down and was sitting empty, and the lightbulb moment hit.
On September 13th, 1983, Sandy and his wife Donna opened their mom & pop donut shop and it was an instant hit. The demand for donuts was incredible, and they quickly had to hire more help. In fact, some nights got so busy that they had to take naps in the back room in sleeping bags!
When Sandy & Donna’s son, Mark, heard this: he knew there was something special. He ended up leaving college to come home and help out with the business. The three of them (Sandy, Donna, and Mark) made a great team and Sandy’s continued to grow.
In 2002, they moved to a new location (their current West Fargo location) which allowed them increased space and much-needed parking. At this time, Mark took over running the family business. Donna retired but Sandy kept on doing what he loved to do - making donuts for the F-M community.
On October 13th, 2008, Sandy passed away from complications of a stroke he suffered just a few months earlier. He had still been working every day right up until the stroke. Sandy is dearly missed to this day, but Mark knew he had to keep his dad’s dream going.
Over the next few years, the business really started to grow. On September 22nd, 2014, a second Sandy’s location was opened on Broadway in Downtown Fargo. It became obvious that the demand would keep rising, so an additional 2,000 sq. foot kitchen was added on in 2015 to give them the needed production space.
On September 11th, 2019, a third Sandy’s location opened on 45th Street in Fargo in Osgood.
Since then Sandy's has continued to grow and now has daily deliveries to Grand Forks, Valley City, Detroit Lakes, Barnesville and many other communities. As of October 2022 Sandy's Grandson (Mark's son) jeff has taken over and continues to keep the family business thriving.
In summary: one man’s dream, which came at the onset of an unfortunate job loss, has turned into a successful business of over 100 employees, 3 locations, and 10,000+ donuts served every day. Thank you, Sandy, for pursuing your dream and for leaving us this legacy!
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