While on a trip to California a few years ago, Shawn Petersen and his wife Nicole Dao stopped in The Donuttery in Orange County, a tiny coffee and doughnut shop in a strip mall. It was a 2 or 3 a.m. visit, and the shop felt like a mom-and-pop operation, Petersen says.

“We were like ‘we want to do this,'” he says.

The couple—both vegans—came up with a name and Dao sketched the logo on a napkin (Petersen still has it framed). After two years of pop-ups in D.C., their company Donut Run will finally be a brick-and-mortar shop this spring, when the couple opens the city’s first vegan doughnut shop.

Donut Run will take over the space formerly occupied by Vegaritos, which announced it is closing earlier this week (the two vegan businesses are not affiliated), a block from the Takoma Metro. They are aiming for a spring opening.

“It just seems like such a tight knit community,” says Petersen, who lives with Dao in Germantown, Md. “We have a couple of friends who live over there. It always seemed like an awesome neighborhood.”

D.C. has its fair share of doughnut shops, and Sticky Fingers has a vegan doughnut among its array of carbs. Still, Petersen says, “it is really hard to find vegan doughnuts.”

Longtime bakers, Petersen and Deo developed their recipes by adapting traditional doughnut recipes with vegan swaps, including soymilk, dairy-free butter, and egg substitute (Petersen says they’re experimenting with alternative milks to accommodate allergies). Donut Run specializes in yeast doughnuts, but they’re playing around with cake doughnuts and gluten-free options. Flavors run from the traditional (Boston creme, strawberry sprinkle) to the experimental (peanut butter chocolate, matcha, and a few varieties coated in cereal). The shop will also serve coffee.

Petersen also hints at some other experiments, including a savory doughnut, doughnut sandwiches, and ice cream-stuffed doughnuts.

The 1000-square-foot shop will have room for seating. Operating hours are still in the works, but Petersen estimates Donut Run will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. He would eventually love to be a 24-hour operation because donuts are his favorite dessert.

Then again, he says, “there’s always brinner.”

Donut Run will be located at 6904 4th St. NW. It is set to open in spring 2019.

This post has been updated with the correct spelling for Nicole Dao’s name.