New owners couldn’t let iconic Milton’s Donuts close

Credit: Nick Daggy

Credit: Nick Daggy


MILTON’S DONUTS

What. Family-run bakery for 54 years, sold July 1, 2014, to new owners.

Where: 3533 Roosevelt Blvd, Middletown

Phone: 513-422-8612

Owners: Jay and Amy Byrne, and Joyce Campbell

Hours: Closed Mondays; 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays; and 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

The new owners of Milton’s Donuts couldn’t let the iconic Roosevelt Boulevard business close.

Jay and Amy Byrne, a Springboro couple with Middletown ties, have worked as school administrators. They and Amy’s mother, Joyce Campbell, purchased the well-known bakery on July 1.

The Byrnes have no experience in the doughnut business. But they’re not letting that stop them. They’re being trained by one of the best — long-time owner Dan Milton.

Jay Byrne said they hope customers will continue to show their support.

“We knew Dan was selling, and he’s done such a great job. It’s an icon in Middletown,” Jay Byrne said. “Middletown’s a great city and we just couldn’t let it close.”

Milton, 70-years-old, said earlier this year he and his wife Beverly were looking to retire from their grueling 16-hours, six-days-a-week schedule.

The Miltons were hoping to sell the business before the end of the year. If they didn’t find a buyer, they said they would have liquidated the equipment, closed the doors and walked away.

After 54 years in the family business, Milton’s Donuts, at 3533 Roosevelt Boulevard, was sold.

Jay is a Bishop Fenwick graduate and former head basketball and head softball coach for Middletown High School. Amy, a Middletown native, is a Middie graduate. Both now work for area school districts.

Jay will keep his job and help manage the business, but Amy will work full-time baking donuts and pastries.

Armed with Milton’s trade secrets, the goal is “to make sure that we keep producing the great product,” Jay Byrne said.

Customers will still see familiar faces. Dan and his wife are retired, but other employees will continue to work with the new owners.

There are no plans to change the shop’s name.

With extra help, specialty coffee cakes and breads will now be offered all the time, Byrne said.

Also, beginning July 30, Milton’s Donuts will accept food stamps, he said.

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