Clark’s Donuts was opened in Oil City in 1937 by Mr. and Mrs. Clark which is where the name originated from. The store was first located on Elm Street. They only made a couple types of donuts back then since they had to mix all of the dough by hand. In 1939 the store was bought by Mr. Lindquist. He owned the store until 1941 when Don and Louise Rogers purchased it. This was an interesting time, during World War II; the Rogers’ had to ration how many donuts they made each day. People would line up early if they wanted to get a share of the donuts available for the day. 

The shop only employed a few people at this point. Margaret Welsh, one dedicated employee, worked at Clark’s Donuts from the time they opened until she retired. She was hired in 1937 and worked for each of the new owners, including the Rogers Family. Margaret worked during the day selling the donuts. Donald Neidich was hired in 1957 to work the night shift and help make the donuts with the owner, Don Rogers. They were still mixing the dough by hand so they made two batches of raised donuts and one batch of cake donuts each night. They would make another batch each morning. They fried the donuts in the front window of the store so that the people walking by could see the making of the donuts. The building was quite small and this not only helped the space issue but it also enticed people to come in and buy donuts. 

Don Rogers started a delivery route to businesses in Franklin and Oil City after they purchased a mixer. Since they no longer had to mix the dough by hand, more donuts were able to be produced each night. At this point, a larger variety of yummy delights were made, including cinnamon rolls and filled donuts. The filled donuts were filled one at a time with a hand pump machine. The business was growing and Clark’s needed to find a larger place. 

In 1967, Clark’s Donuts moved from Elm Street to Seneca Street in Oil City. This building was large enough to allow them to expand their delivery routes and make more donuts every day. In 1968, a satellite store in Titusville was opened. Donuts were delivered to Titusville every day for about five years. 

In 1971, the city decided to build a parking ramp so Clark’s Donuts had to move again. They relocated to East First Street. Donald Neidich was still working for the Rogers family at this time. In 1984, he purchased the business and added some more items to the menu like: french crullers, cookies and muffins. The store employed nine people during this time, including Terry Neidich, Donald’s son. 

In 1987, Terry and Kelly Neidich opened a second branch of the business called Clark’s Donuts Plus. It was located in the Cranberry Mall on Route 322. They offered all of the same products as the Oil City location which shipped the donuts there each morning. When Donald retired, Clark’s Donuts relocated to a building on Route 322 just east of the Cranberry Mall. In 2021, the business moved to a larger location just a few miles north in Seneca.

Clark’s Donuts still uses the original recipes that have been passed down from owner to owner over the years. The dough is mixed in huge batches in an 80 quart mixer now and some of the donuts are cut out in a sheeter machine, allowing them to produce a much larger quantity each night. Cinnamon rolls, bear claws and apple fritters are all cut by hand. The frostings and cream for the long johns are made from scratch. Apple fritters are only made during the fall months while bear claws are made all year long. Deliveries have expanded to five different routes that travel to Titusville, Clarion, Sharon, Meadville and Erie areas.