A local mom and pop donut shop is getting ready to face down a business giant in Carmel Mountain Ranch.
Sesame Donuts, a donut shop off Interstate 15, will have a new neighbor just 100 feet away starting Tuesday: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
Sesame Donuts has been in the same strip mall for 27 years, 17 of those years owned by the Kim family. NBC 7 San Diego first reported the story when the Kims learned their new next door neighbors would be Krispy Kreme.
In the following weeks, the donut store had so much business they ran out of donuts.
Loyal customers say they are standing by the store in the face of the new competition.
"It's a local family store, and they treat us like family," said Sonya Gulati-Brown, a frequest Sesame Donuts customer.
But Jennifer and Chin Kim are worried; their new competition is so close, you can see Krispy Kreme reflected on their store's front window.
Local
"So they'll get their business but I don't think that Sesame Donuts will do any worse because of it," predicted Gulati-Brown. She said she has been coming here for so long the Kims know her family well.
She doesn't want to see the strip mall become too corporate.
"Too many of the local businesses are getting pushed out by the big ones and i just want to support the Kims and the local people," said Matthew Golding, a loyal customer.
He said he's going to keep supporting Sesame Donuts. He wants to show that big corporations can't come in and push out the local businesses.
Tuesday, as Krispy Kreme celebrates their grand opening, Sesame Donuts will also be celebrating.
Community members will be coming out to help to Kims celebrate the store's 27th anniversary.
The family says they have hired three new employees to keep up with their recent uptick in demand, but Tuesday, the real test begins.
Krispy Kreme is offering free donuts every week to the first 10 people in line and other deals for their Grand Opening.
At the same time, the Kim's at Sesame donuts will have face painting, bouncy house and donut discounts.
