UPDATE: This location of Schuler’s is currently closed for repairs, but their shops on Limestone Street and Derr Road are open.
Schuler’s Bakery | Facebook | IG : @schulersbakery
457 E. Main St. (map it!)
Springfield, OH 45503
(937) 323-4900
Open daily 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Visited: Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 9 a.m.
We finished up a recent invited visit to Springfield – our first time in the city – with a stop for Sunday morning donuts at a local institution: Schuler’s Bakery. I’ve long said that donut shops are a perfect way to get to know a place, so Schuler’s was a must-stop on our itinerary.
I prefer heading to the source, so we scoped out the downtown location on East Main Street, close to where John Schuler opened his first shop in 1937. Schuler’s has four locations overall, three in Springfield and one in Urbana; their production is done out of the bakery on Limestone Street.
I love the look of the Main Street shop, even if it does feel a bit isolated compared to the light industry around it. But the tall neon sign is a decades-old beacon that beckons you to good donuts.
The Main Street shop is tiny – small enough that when our family of four walked inside, the lady behind the counter barked that only three people were allowed in because of COVID-related restrictions. It caught us off guard, but we regrouped outside and just the boys and I went in.
It’s hard to deny the welcoming view of yellow plastic trays loaded with fresh donuts. You can’t probably smell this photograph.
It’s our policy to ask for their greatest hits, so we ordered up a combination of their suggestions + our favorites.
We ended up with a healthy (that’s the word, right?) mix: custard-filled yeast donuts, glazed, chocolate longjohn (surprisingly not filled with cream or custard), a birthday cake donut, pumpkin, a whole wheat donut (rare and quite well done), a giant apple fritter, and handful of yeast donut holes (served five on a stick), plus a pumpkin cookie and cupcake.
I’ll always love these classic, long-running bakeries, so I was primed to enjoy Schuler’s. They’ve clearly got a loyal local following, and know what they’re doing. I thought all the donuts were on-point, and found myself thinking back to them even days later.
A fitting end to an adventurous weekend in The Field, and I’d say a must-stop on any visit there.
