Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published October 18, 2019.

The Kiva Rochester program is a partnership with Kiva, an international nonprofit organization, and the City of Rochester. Launched in August 2016 by Mayor Lovely Warren and the Office of Innovation, the program provides access to 0% interest crowdfunded loans of up to $10,000 for local small business owners who might have difficulty qualifying for capital from traditional financial institutions. The loans are crowdfunded $25 at a time by Kiva’s community of 2 million lenders from all over the world who support entrepreneurs as they launch and grow their businesses. To date, the program has connected 60 city of Rochester business owners with over $300,000 in 0% interest business capital. For more information, visit our website or Facebook, or send an email our way!

Kiva Rochester is partnering with I Heart ROC to bring you a series of interviews focusing on local entrepreneurs who are thriving in the Rochester community.

Jenny Johnson was a well-established vegan baker by the time she came to Kiva Rochester to get a loan to expand her shop, Misfit Doughnuts, on Monroe Avenue, in fall 2018. She used the $10,000 loan to tackle a huge renovation project, doubling the size of the kitchen and adding seating for customers. The renovations were just about finished, when in March 2019, a fire in the building forced her to close down. Jenny was faced with a difficult decision- stick it out on Monroe Ave in hopes that the building would soon be cleared for her to reopen or move to a new space. In May, Jenny announced, to much enthusiasm from her social media followers, that the future new home of Misfit Donuts would be at 133 Gregory Street in the South Wedge. In August, Misfit Doughnuts made its triumphant return and was welcomed into its new neighborhood with the help of excited customers that maintained a steady line until they ran out of doughnuts. Jenny’s story is one of entrepreneurial resilience and reinvention, all in the name of being rochester’s go-to place for delicious and imaginative vegan donuts. We are so proud to have her as a member of the Kiva Rochester community! 

Jenny’s loan was endorsed by the Kiva Rochester team and therefore, half her loan was funded through the Rochester Economic Development Corporation's matching loan fund. Visit Jenny’s original funding profile.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I’m from Auburn, NY, a small city of about 30,000 people located between here and Syracuse. It has lots of cultural significance; it’s known as “Prison City” because a prison takes up an entire city block. It’s also where Harriet Tubman settled and the home of William Seward. I came to Rochester in 2010 to go to RIT for a degree in photography and stuck around after that.

If you had $100 and two hours to kill in Rochester, how would you spend the money/time?

I would go have lunch at the Red Fern, it’s one of my favorite places to eat in Rochester. Then I’d go to Needle Drop Records, I love records. After that, I’d scoot down to Little Button and say hi to Shelby and see what awesome stuff she has in her shop. Then I’d probably swing by the George Eastman Museum and check out the latest exhibit.

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support?

There are a couple farm sanctuaries I support--Mockingbird in Byron, NY is a small but ever-growing farm sanctuary. Asha’s out in New Fayne, between here and Buffalo is another one I love supporting. I’ve been to visit them in person, and it’s amazing. At any farm sanctuary, you can get up close and have an experience with the animals. It touches my heart and soul that these animals have a place to live the rest of their lives, and they never have to worry about being harmed. A lot of them are rescued, through slaughterhouse auctions, or farmers donate them. 

What's one memory you have that captures what Rochester means to you?

Recently, a friend of mine came up to visit from Geneva. He’d been here a lot before, but hadn’t hung out much. We went to Red Fern first, and then G&S Orchards. Then we went bowling at Radio Social, followed by a walk at Cobbs Hill. Afterwards, we had a late dinner at Dogtown. 

What are some ways we can all help make Rochester a better place? 

I think if we all were all recycle and compost more, or had community compost stations around Rochester, that could help significantly cut down on waste. It would be great if we were all more aware of our carbon footprint. 

Tell me about your business, Misfit Doughnuts. The last time you spoke to I Heart ROC was in 2016, and you were running Pudgy Girl Bakery. How did that evolve into Misfit? 

When I started Pudgy Girl, I had started by myself. I got a business partner, and things were going well at first, then went south quickly. I ended up having to close Pudgy Girl. I was very sad about that, devastated. For fun, I started doing doughnuts for the South Wedge Farmers Market, mostly because my friends all wanted vegan doughnuts. They got a very positive response. One friend told me about a little shop for rent on Upper Monroe. I said “no, I’m good, thank you.” But then a second friend told me almost the exact same thing. It was exactly what I wanted--1,000 square feet, a couple of tables up front, affordable, in an up and coming neighborhood. When I checked it out, it was so perfect. I got help from family and friends, did my first crowdfunding campaign, and scraped together enough money to open Misfit Doughnuts & Treats. It was kismet.

I hear you got a Kiva loan to help your business grow. What was that process like? 

The process was very seamless. I think our loan was one of the fastest funded Kiva loans in the history of Kiva loan! It was fully funded in 3 days. It helped me start the renovations on the old shop on Monroe.

Tell me a little bit about the fire on Monroe Ave and how you recovered from that experience. 

We had just finished laying new floors, and a week later, the fire happened. My friends live across the street from the old Misfit location, and they started sending me pictures on Facebook Messenger of the fire. I could tell how bad it was by the sheer amount of firemen and trucks they sent. I later learned it had been a five-alarm fire, the result of arson. The person who started the fire was sentenced to seven years in jail.

The first month after the fire, I was in a state of shock and playing a waiting game. I had to wait for insurance money and to find out what my landlord’s plans for the building were. He originally said he planned to rehab the building, but nothing was done. After about five weeks, I started looking at other locations. I’d looked at 15-20 spots, aiming to stay in the city of Rochester in a location not too big and not too small. The daughter of my current landlords told her parents, “Misfit Doughnuts is looking for a location, you should call her first before you list the building.” When I came to visit, I brought my contractor, and he told me “take this building right now.” I’d been disheartened, disillusioned, and depressed, so it was hard to see the good right in front of me.

We’ve done a lot of work on the space. My landlord, Chip, pulled out a row of coolers that hadn’t worked in 10+ years. We replaced the flooring and repainted the interior. My contractor built a wall and made a beautiful stained glass window; I painted a fun circle pattern on the wall. The Little Theatre donated cases to us. It all came together.

What has changed since your Pudgy Girl days? What have you learned as a business owner?

I think some of the most important things I’ve learned are: 

• Talk to other small business owners, especially people who are doing something that you admire. 
• Delegate tasks away from you that you don’t have an interest in or knowledge of. I have an accountant and a bookkeeper who are incredible resources for me.
• You have to have a strong vision of what you want your business to be. You can be receptive to others’ ideas/feedback, but you need a strong vision of how you want your business to grow and evolve. 
• Don’t get so muddled in the day to day that you don’t see the big picture. If you have a bad day, don’t get completely depressed by it. Take things in stride.

Why should people visit Misfit Doughnuts?

Everybody should come! We have amazing, delicious doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and other treats, and we’re 100% all vegan. Being kind to all sentient beings is critical, and being vegan is good for your health. Plus, we have a beautiful location in the South Wedge now! You can enjoy a coffee or Katboocha and have a leisurely afternoon at the shop.

What are some of your favorite doughnuts at Misfit?

• Oscar the Grouch, which is a Mexican hot chocolate doughnut with a green cake and glaze. It’s sweet and spicy.
• We’re doing a breakfast sandwich on a doughnut every day.
• We just started doing a Reuber, which is pretty great.
• We have apple and pear fritters made with local produce.
• King Kong, which is a salted caramel doughnut filled with banana bread, caramel drizzle, and banana chip.
• Chocolate glazed with potato chips and caramel drizzle--I love the sweet and salty flavor combo.
• Everything bagel doughnut--it’s cream cheese-filled and has everything bagel seasoning on top. It’s just a mouthful of deliciousness and weirdness.
• Plum jalapeno fritter -- it’s sweet and spicy, hot, and delicious.

This interview was brought to you in part by Kiva Rochester.