After 34 years in business as a popular morning coffee house establishment in Albert Lea, Bunnell’s Donut Hut & Bakery will close its doors July 3.

It is being purchased by A-Best Sew & Vac.

Helen Bunnell, who has owned the Donut Hut with her husband, Bruce, since 1974, said they just signed the purchase agreement, but the deal is not completed yet.

She declined to comment further about the arrangement or why it was taking place.

Vern Hanson, owner of A-Best Sew & Vac, also declined to expound on the arrangement, other than by saying, “It’s not actually completed. It’s something we’re pursuing.”

Regardless, Bunnell said they will have to have everything out of the building shortly.

The sale of the Albert Lea mainstay would’ve been a difficult secret to keep. The Donut Hut for years has been the home of several groups of people who gather every morning to socialize.

One of those groups, the Donut Hut Social Club — which involves more than a dozen retired men who gather every weekday morning at the back tables of the facility — is sad to see it go.

The group is made up of longtime friends who initially started meeting 10 years ago when the Donut Hut was across Main Street where Kwik Trip is now. The Donut Hut moved to its current location in February of 2002, after swapping locations with Kwik Trip. The Donut Hut has been in Albert Lea since the 1980s.

The old location had two different groups of men that met early in the morning, but the groups melded during the move. Sometimes, up to 20 men come out to meet.

One of those men, Bill Myers, said he’s worried about where the group will meet after the Donut Hut is no longer in existence.

“There’s been some talk of where we’re going to go next, but no one knows where,” Myers said.

He said there’s been talk of Hy-Vee or Nelson’s, but he’s worried about finding a facility that can accommodate 20 men.

“It makes no difference to us where we go as long as we have a place to go,” he said.

Myers said employees at the Donut Hut told the group Tuesday that the store would be closing.