After 68 Years, Grandma’s Donuts in New Bedford Is Changing and Revamping Their Popular Mural

If you're wondering what all the commotion is about down on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford, something big is happening at a local donut shop.

After 68 years of business, the former "Ma's Donuts"  is finally revamping the staple donut mural that overlooks Brooklawn Duck Pond. Layers of paint washed down the wall, exposing vintage colors from past businesses and bringing life back to the run-down bricks seemingly covered for a lifetime.

A new mural is officially in the works, and a new chapter has spawned for what is now called GrandMa's Donuts and Coffee Shop.

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On Monday, October 2nd, owner Scott Lemieux fired up his power washer and began peeling back the historical artwork. One by one, vehicles pulled over to see what was going on as Lemieux prepared the blank canvas for local artist Ed Capeau.

"I've been looking for the past two years for an artist with no clue what I wanted to do," Lemieux explained, "I interviewed a bunch of people interested in painting the wall, and nothing clicked until Ed (Capeau) came along. Finally, after several sketches, he came up with the best idea so we pulled the trigger and got to work."

GrandMa's Donuts wasn't interested in putting up a sign, as they were dead-set on a mural. Capeau's work can be found all over the SouthCoast with his recent painting in Acushnet. Capeau is well-known for putting "easter eggs" in the murals, and that caught Lemieux's attention. Eventually, there will be a game for the kids to look for hidden pictures within the mural for prizes and donuts.

Across from the giant mural is a smaller one to the left side of the Donut Shop. That wall will be painted over eventually by the end of the year as long as the weather holds out. It's going to be something different than the adjacent mural, but a change was needed.

Stay tuned for the final project as Capeau plans on finishing the mural within weeks to a month. Again, it all depends on the rain and inclement weather.