1954: The Year Ohio Shop Kept Its Name

Residents of Chillicothe can still purchase doughnuts at a shop that claims to hold the original recipes used by the family that founded the business in 1929. The store, known as Crispie Creme Donuts, operates out of 47 N. Bridge St. and is currently managed by the fourth generation of the Renison family.

The connection between this local business and the national chain Krispy Kreme traces back to Jack Renison, who opened his first shop in Mulberry, Kansas, in 1929. He later expanded his operations to several states, including Portsmouth, Ohio, and Paducah, Kentucky.

Hallie Renison, a great-granddaughter of Jack Renison, says the national chain’s name originated from a shop in Paducah. Vernon Rudolph purchased that specific location but altered the spelling of the name to Krispy Kreme. Rudolph did not buy the original doughnut formulas, only the physical property.

“He didn’t sell the recipe, just the building, more or less,” Hallie Renison said. The Renison family states that the original recipes remained with the business and have been passed down through generations.

Jack Renison’s son, Jim Renison, established the Chillicothe location in 1954. A decade later, he moved the shop to its current address on North Bridge Street. The business continues to operate at that site, using the family’s original production methods.

The current management includes Hallie Renison, who helps run the Chillicothe store. The shop remains open to the public, offering doughnuts made from the recipes that the Renison family says were never sold to the Paducah buyer.