Here’s why the owners of Hurts Donut decided to close their shop

This one is going to hurt, especially for those who crave doughnuts at 3 a.m.

Hurts Donut , the 24-hour doughnut shop at 7010 W. 21st St. that opened in Wichita in 2015 selling whimsically-topped, highly caloric doughnuts, has closed. Its last day in business was Tuesday, said owner Aaron Courtney, who along with his wife, Jenni, bought the store in 2019.

The reason for the closing, Aaron Courtney said: The building lease was up, as was the couple’s contract with the Springfield, Missouri-based Hurts Donut parent company. The Courtneys, who own several other businesses including both Wichita Tropical Smoothie Cafes , decided they needed to cut something out.

“At some point in time, you say, ‘I have a lot going on. I’ve got a young family,’” he said. “...Just as a family, we don’t really want to do this any more.”

Employees were notified on Friday, and the Courtneys are in the process of selling off equipment from the building, he said.

In addition to the two Wichita Tropical Smoothie Cafes , the Courtneys also co-own the Spring Clean Laundry at 29th and Arkansas and also are among the owners of a new direct-to-consumer product called Kanga , which is a stability pouch that allows babies to sit up more securely in grocery carts and restaurant high chairs.

Also, Jenni Courtney, who helps run the couple’s restaurants, has decided to go back to school in August.

“We have just a crap ton of stuff going on,” Aaron Courtney said. “It’s kind of a situation where you can’t do everything to a really, really high level. That’s just the reality of life.”

Aaron Courtney said that he was sorry he didn’t get a chance to really say goodbye to his longtime customers at Hurts.

“We’ve got a lot of really consistent customers,” he said. “It’s been a great five years, and we’re incredibly grateful, but it’s time to pursue other things. Everything that’s good comes to an end at some time, and it’s just time.”

Hurts Donut is owned by Valley Center native Kas Clegg and her husband, Tim. They opened the first Hurts in Springfield, Missouri, in 2014 then franchised it across the region. Wichita briefly had a second Hurts on the east side of town , which operated from 2016 to 2017 at 7718 E. 37th St. North.

I’ve reached out to the Cleggs to see if they plan to find another spot in Wichita but have not yet heard back.

Wichita’s first Culver’s will open for business in just a few days

Heads up, Wichita chicken sandwich fans: This Chick-fil-A is about to temporarily close

She lost her restaurant lease in June. But after a feverish search, she’s found a new spot