Shipley Do-Nuts is opening another Birmingham-area location, this time along U.S. 280, as the Houston-based doughnut and kolache chain continues pushing deeper into Alabama. The new site adds to a growing list of Shipley shops popping up across the state, including stops in Hoover and Huntsville.
The Birmingham-area news was reported by Birmingham Business Journal, which noted the chain is based in Houston. Shipley Do-Nuts was founded there in 1936 by Lawrence Shipley Sr. and Lillie Shipley, according to chron.com, and the brand has been on an expansion tear ever since Austin-based private equity firm Peak Rock Capital acquired it in January 2021.
Shipley's menu centers on glazed, filled and cake doughnuts along with kolaches, other pastries and coffee, per the chain's own description reported by al.com. That outlet reported the company had about 340 stores across the country as of August 2023 and was already targeting more than 30 Alabama cities for new locations at the time.
A Chain on the Move Across the South
Alabama already has a foothold for the brand. Shipley operates a shop at 2050 Greenvale Lane in Hoover, al.com reported, and more recently opened a second Alabama location at 1010 North Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, inside a new strip mall. That Huntsville shop opened in late October 2025; a ribbon-cutting was planned for November 5, and a grand-opening celebration for November 8. Axios also covered the Huntsville debut, describing it as the chain's second Alabama location.
The company's growth hasn't been limited to Alabama. Shipley signed franchise agreements for 25 shops in Maryland and 25 in the Atlanta area as part of a broader push into new markets, Chron.com reported in 2022. By February 2025, the brand had grown to 370 locations across 13 states and had entered North Carolina, according to verdictfoodservice.com, which also reported a 30-unit development agreement meant to extend the chain's national footprint further.
Conflicting Targets for Future Growth
Just how big Shipley intends to get depends on which report you read. Chron.com reported in 2022 that the company planned to open 350 new locations over five years, doubling its size, while al.com separately reported that same year that Shipley had announced a goal of roughly 600 stores by 2027. More recently, al.com reported in October 2025 that the chain was targeting more than 30 Alabama cities for expansion with a goal of 400 total locations by 2027 — a notably different figure than the earlier 600-store target, and the dossier does not resolve which number reflects the company's current plan.
Beyond Alabama, the brand's franchise development site lists more than 190 locations under commitment, a sign of how much growth is already in the pipeline. That same source points to a 15-unit franchise agreement signed to bring Shipley into Metro Detroit in 2026. Elsewhere in Texas, communityimpact.com reported the chain plans to open a new north Plano location in November 2026, operated as a franchise under The Shipley Group, Inc.
For Birmingham-area residents, the U.S. 280 addition means another option alongside the existing Hoover shop as Shipley keeps betting on Alabama as fertile ground for its glazed doughnuts and kolaches. Whether the chain ultimately lands closer to 400 or 600 locations by 2027, the pace of new openings suggests Alabama will keep seeing fresh Shipley storefronts for the foreseeable future.
