WOODLAND HILLS⁠—Cindy Seam’s family ran the Spudnuts Canoga Park location for over 30 years, before a terminated lease caused their location to close down on December 15, 2019, where she started a new endeavor: SugarBox.

Seam indicated her opening day of May 8 surpassed her expectations. After getting the all-clear from the inspector on Friday, Seam gave her existing customers from the old location a less than 24 hours notice about the opening.

“It went way better than expected,” Seam told Canyon News.” I expected maybe 12 people, but we got way more. I’d say about 85% of the customers who showed up were from the old shop. The loyalty is amazing.” Cindy said she suspects that donuts as a quarantine comfort food keep attracting customers.

Seam’s father is the owner of the Spudnuts brand and flour. Made with potato flour, known as spud, it is safe to eat for people with gluten allergies. Seam’s new shop uses the same flour, but with a new twist. Custom donuts and boba tea round out a new rebranding effort for Seam’s business.

When asked why she decided not to keep the same name as her previous shop, Seam commented: “I wanted a chance to rebrand, create a cute and fun space.”

Speaking to Canyon News on opening her business mid-pandemic, the SugarBox owner said the following: “It was really hard. We started renovating a week before quarantine began.” This meant certain businesses she needed access to were now closed. She recalls the SugarBox sign was difficult to attain due to this problem.

As far as safety steps during the pandemic, SugarBox workers are expected to wear masks,  sanitize the counter and touch screen every half hour. Lines are also controlled for customer safety. “Just common sense things,” Seam clarified.

When asked about her hopes for a post-pandemic donut experience, Seam was optimistic. “We have a huge space now. We plan to have a special station for donut decorating parties once this is over. I also want the place to become a sort of boba lounge. A cute place where people can hang out.”

For those interested in Cindy Seam’s spudnut creations, check out the shop’s Instagram @sugarboxdonuts.