About Us

Stephen Durham

Stephen and Gaylene Durham bought the Mayridge Donut Shop, located at SW 44 and May in Oklahoma City, in 1979. They operated the shop for more than four years at that location until a Hardee’s opened across the street. As you can imagine, business was affected. Since the lease was going to end anyway, they decided they needed to move the business or do something else entirely.

During this same period, Stephen’s father, Benny Durham, was managing a chain of convenience stores. The three of them put their heads together and decided to open a new store combining the donut shop and convenience store.

Stephen worked for McDonalds as a manager for eight years, and in 1973, when he was 21 years old, he decided to invest his bonus in a piece of real estate. Benny had bought other properties in the Tuttle area, so it was natural for Stephen to look for land in that area. When Stephen found a five acre lot on Hwy 37, he knew it was a piece of property that could be developed in the future. So, he purchased the property at 7300 East Hwy 37 for $15,000.00 dollars.

While working for McDonalds, Stephen, and a former Jack in the Box manager, Rick Meadows, got the opportunity to be on the first team in the United States to have a drive-thru window. That first drive-thru was located at SW 59th and Pennsylvania in Oklahoma City. Couple the drive thru being such a huge hit with the need to move the donut shop, and Stephen, Gaylene and Benny decided to build on the property that Stephen had purchased in Tuttle. The first donut / convenience store with a drive-thru window in Oklahoma was launched.

Tuttle location

Durham’s Bakery & Convenience Store opened its doors in April 1983. Business has been great ever since. As the years went by, an additional eight acres were added, and the reputation grew for having the most amazing donuts around. Over time, Durham’s began to branch out. A car wash was added to the Tuttle store and several other stand alone locations. At the same time, Durham’s introduced a agricultural line offering several types of feed, hay, straw, alfalfa, shavings and Colorado Straw. The most recent addition to the store’s vast inventory, Cedar Fiber, was added in 2007. Along the way, in 2004, Durham’s 2 was opened in Dibble, Oklahoma, where the bulk of the Cedar Fiber is stored.

Over the years, family members have rotated into, out of, and back into the business. In 1998, Benny, at the age of 65, made the decision to retire and leave the business with Stephen and Gaylene.

Stephen and Gaylene’s son, Joseph, worked at the store during high school but eventually moved on to working in the corporate world full time. Joseph is at the store on a regular basis and helps when and wherever needed.

Their daughter Nicole was at the store even as a baby. She used to come to work with her parents at 3:00 am, so that they could "make the donuts" and slept on the front counter until they were done. Nicole started working at the store at age 15. She was a child drawn to animals and still is today. Because of her love of animals, Nicole and her father started a show hog breeding program right at the store. The program was so successful that Nicole made enough money to put herself through college. Nicole graduated from The University of Oklahoma in 2004. Upon graduating college, Nicole started working at the store full time and is still there today.

Dibble Location

Durham’s is a legend and landmark for the Tri-city area. For years people have given directions from its location, because everyone knows Durham’s. Some remember Durham’s because that is where they may have bought gas or feed. Some remember it for the wonderful donuts, but a lot remember it because of the wonderful people that work there, the family atmosphere, and the friendships that have been made there. But the fact that Durham’s has been around for over 25 years makes it priceless.

In this very condensed history of the company, you can see that Durham’s is a small family business that is constantly evolving. Durham’s is not the same as it was two years ago and will not be the same two years from now. With that said, the company’s advertising in the past has been mainly by word of mouth, flyers at livestock shows and newspaper and magazine ads. In creating this website Durham’s is once again trying something new, using a new form of advertising. On this website, the focus is on the two most recent product additions: Colorado Straw and Cedar Fiber. In the future, this website will also evolve and change with the growth of Durham’s. So, check back often and see what is new!