Corner doughnut shop a lifeline for owner and customers

Among the heritage buildings, furniture stores and auto body shops in the Warehouse District of central Regina, there sits a longstanding doughnut shop that brings a small town feel to the busy, commercial area. 

Country Corner Donuts, on the northwest corner of Broad Street and Dewdney Avenue, has been a familiar site to motorists who commute to and from the downtown area.

Inside, coffee addicts and doughnut junkies find a proud owner who's built his life and a community around the shop. 

"Damn cold" is how Vuong Pham describes his first day in Regina, which was Nov. 11, 1979. 

Pham, his wife and their six-month-old son were among the tens of thousands who fled Vietnam in the late 70s and early 80s, and arrived in new lands as boat people.

The first years in Canada were hard, Pham said, recalling times when he'd take any job he could get. 

"We started working right away," Pham said. "We go to school for two months to learn English, worked in restaurants. I did some welding, did some cleaning. That was my start for the life in Canada."

A new baby, a daughter, was born in 1981.

Another date etched in his memory is July 18, 1989, the day Pham took over as owner and operator of the doughnut shop.

Now, over 25 years later, he still runs the place and derives immense joy from his customers.

"The people. I love the people," he said. "I laugh more with people here, then I laugh with my people."

Among the shop's many loyal customers there are a few who stand out, including two who decided one part of the store needed attention.

The pair noticed that a couple of benches, beside the outside entry doors, were very worn and barely usable.

The two customers took them away and returned with replacements. One was restored, repainted red and (in white) emblazoned with the words "Where Everyone Knows Your Name". The other bench was remodelled by having two, blue plastic chair seats attached to it. That bench was given the label "Penalty Box."

Pham also remembers a very close friend, Stan Herperger, who died in 2007. 

"That's my best Canadian friend. He was older than me [by] 16 years, but he treated me like a friend," Pham said, his eyes getting moist as he talks about the man.

Herperger visited Pham's shop every day for 15 years. If Herperger was away for a few days he'd be sure to stop by the shop as soon as he returned, Pham said. Pham dedicated a corner of the shop to honour Stan by adding a special photo to the wall.

Pham said he has built a lifetime of friendships and relationships with other regular customers, each one special in its own way.

"We are here a long time. A lot of people know [us]. Some of people think like this is a second home," he said, grateful for those relationships.

"You see every face, every day. Laughing and talking. [It's] enjoyable. Not everybody is that lucky," he said. "I love working, you know."

Pham said retirement is simply not an option.

"I retire and I die, for sure," he said.