Union Square Donuts to Open Second Shop in Brookline

Union Square Donuts in Somerville. Photo by Ruby Wallace-Ewing for “Take a Look Inside Union Square Donuts’ New Location“

Union Square Donuts has made no secret about its plans to roll its award-winning rounds throughout the region, and they have just taken initial steps to open their second permanent location. Last night, the Brookline selectboard granted a license to the doughnut deities to open up at 409 Harvard St., the Brookline TAB reports.

Currently Wulf’s Fish Market, USD owners Josh Danoff and Heather Schmidt plan a complete renovation of the small storefront, Danoff told the TAB. Once it opens, Union Square Donuts in Coolidge Corner will have 13 seats, and a range of yeasted treats. They’ll make the dough and glazes at their flagship Somerville location, and bake and fry them daily in Brookline.

Wulf’s Fish Market has been in business for 90 years. Owner Mike Geraty announced last week that he’s shuttering the retail operation after May 13 to refocus his company’s efforts on wholesale, with a new facility at the Boston Fish Pier.

It was good timing, from Danoff’s perspective. “We’ve been wanting to open more shops, and when we got word about the Wulf’s spot, it really seemed like such a perfect place. Brookline is a great place,” he told the TAB.

Indeed, last week, Danoff said that more doughnuts were headed for greater Boston. “We constantly have an eye on where we could be, or pop up, or land next,” he said, after Johnny Cupcakes teased that it’s in talks to carry Union Square’s “doughies” at its Newbury Street clothing store.

Today, Johnny Earle confirmed that partnership is a go, too.

“Starting Saturday May 14, every day we will be selling a variety of special edition donuts and doughies,” Johnny Cupcakes’ founder says.

The unique offerings are tentatively called “donut clouds,” Earle says. There will be six daily options, rotating through a variety of flavors. To get them, Johnny Cupcakes customers will need to be in the know: They’ll have to locate a doorbell inside the shop, to get a secret menu, which also lists an offer ever-changing, limited edition selection of T-shirts and other merchandise. Johnny Cupcakes’ social media will share clues as the partnership goes on, Earle adds.

“I am looking forward to listening to people explain Johnny Cupcakes to their friends: ‘Johnny Cupcakes doesn’t sell actual cupcakes. It’s a T-shirt brand with a retail store that looks like a bakery. But, they have a secret menu for donut clouds.”

In Brookline, Danoff declined to offer an opening timeline for Union Square Donuts’ second outfit. “We’re hoping it doesn’t take long after that to open,” he told the TAB.

In the meantime, find them in their namesake Somerville square, at a satellite location in Cambridge through the end of April, at Triangle Coffee’s shipping container kiosk on Drydock Avenue, and at the Boston Public Market.

Union Square Donuts, opening in 2016 at 409 Harvard St., Brookline, unionsquaredonuts.com.