Drywall is going up and signage is starting to appear on a new Shipley Do-Nuts building in the 100 block of West Central Texas Expressway in Harker Heights, where the donut chain is preparing to relocate from its current spot on Knight's Way. Building owner Tony Chang said the shop is planned to open December 1, with the Knight's Way location moving operations once construction wraps and equipment is ready for customers.
The relocation was first reported by the Killeen Daily Herald, which detailed construction crews adding drywall to several areas of the building this week. The new structure also includes a large east-side space available for lease, a 28,000-square-foot unit that can be divided into two 14,000-square-foot spaces, according to the same report. Colt Realty is handling the leasing process for that additional retail space.
Chang also owns the Shipley's building on West Stan Schlueter Loop near Clear Creek Road in Killeen, which is already open and uses the same design as the new Harker Heights building, per the Herald's reporting.
Why the Expressway Beats a Side Street
Moving from Knight's Way to Central Texas Expressway frontage puts the donut shop directly on one of Bell County's busiest corridors. Commercial traffic data cited by MyEListing shows daily vehicle volume exceeding 75,000 vehicles along the Interstate 14 and US Highway 190 corridor through Harker Heights, a stretch that also serves as the region's main east-west artery for commuters.
That kind of drive-by visibility puts the new Shipley's alongside some of the area's biggest retail anchors. The corridor is anchored by Market Heights, a 417,000-square-foot regional power center, along with national retailers including Sam's Club and Walmart, according to Direct Retail Partners. The Texas Department of Transportation previously completed a $42.5 million project widening Interstate 14 through Harker Heights from four to six main lanes, a build-out that added capacity along the same frontage roads where new retail buildings are now rising, per the Temple Daily Telegram.
A Growing City With Money to Spend
Harker Heights has the population and household income to support the added commercial square footage. U.S. Census Bureau estimates show the city grew from 33,097 residents at the 2020 census to more than 35,000 by 2025, making it the third-largest municipality in Bell County, according to USAFacts. Census data also puts the city's median household income at $81,190 and its average household income at $101,293 as of 2024 estimates, per Point2Homes, figures that outpace neighboring Killeen.
Much of that spending power traces back to Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, which employs more than 82,000 military and civilian personnel and has more than 61,000 military family members living off-post in surrounding cities including Harker Heights, according to MyEListing. Fort Cavazos remains the largest single-site employer in Texas, a fact that helps explain why national chains keep circling this stretch of the Central Texas Expressway.
A Texas Brand on a National Growth Run
The Harker Heights project fits into a much larger expansion push for Shipley Do-Nuts. Founded in Houston in 1936 by Lawrence Shipley Sr., the chain has grown to more than 385 locations across 12 to 14 states as of early 2026, according to Franchise Times. In July 2025, Beverly Hills-based private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired the brand from Peak Rock Capital to support its national expansion strategy, Community Impact reported.
That growth relies heavily on franchise operators. Shipley's April 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document requires prospective franchisees to hold at least $225,000 in liquid assets and a total net worth of $750,000. Customers at the relocated Harker Heights shop can expect the brand's standard lineup, which according to Wikipedia includes more than 60 varieties of fresh, daily handmade glazed and cake doughnuts alongside savory sausage and cheese kolaches and specialty coffee drinks.
Hoodline has tracked Shipley's franchise growth elsewhere in Texas, including a Houston-area relocation covered in December and another Central Texas Expressway food chain arrival in nearby Killeen reported in August. Between the Harker Heights build-out and the additional 28,000 square feet of lease space still up for grabs next door, this stretch of highway looks poised for more new arrivals before the year is out.
