An all-ages venue opened under Lexington doughnut shop. Then the city closed it down
For seven years, Frank’s Donuts on Third Street has been one of Lexington’s most popular breakfast spots, but for some time now, manager Frank Alguera has had another business idea in mind.
“Speakeasies are freaking cool, you know. They’re just fun,” Alguera, 33, said. “I’ve always wanted to make a speakeasy in the basement of the donut shop.”
He shared the idea with his lifelong friend, Sean Bolton, on the way back from a trip they took to Virginia last summer. Bolton knew the basement had potential, although he had a slightly different vision: an all-ages, alcohol-free music venue.
Bolton saw the doughnut shop’s basement as a place to address issues like growing social isolation after the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of area venues and a lack of safe places for those younger than 21 to socialize in Lexington.
“I wanted to build the place that I wished existed when I was 15,” Bolton said.
The two friends, with help from Alguera’s confused but supportive parents, started cleaning out the shop’s basement. They built walls around exposed HVAC units and asked friends to paint art on the white concrete walls. A friend of Bolton’s gave him a $3,000 sound system for the venue, which he paid back over time with ticket revenue from shows.
As for the name?
“I just, like, threw different names out there,” Bolton said. “The Dirty Dozen was one of them. And then I said, ‘What about the Donut Dungeon? We could do a fantasy theme, you know?’” Alguera loved it.
The venue had its first show in October, but it won’t immediately host more. Lexington’s fire marshal shut Donut Dungeon down Jan. 15.
Someone submitted a complaint to the city about the venue, and an inspector came by and found the site out of compliance with a number of building code requirements.
If Donut Dungeon wants to reopen, it will need to construct a second entrance, install a sprinkler system and add a slow-burning ceiling, among other pricey improvements. The necessary renovations could cost anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000.
Alguera and Bolton said they don’t make much money from shows at the Donut Dungeon, and what revenue they earn goes toward improving the venue. It’s not going to be enough to bring the space up to code, they said.
Ollie Bellando, a 20-year-old guitarist and vocalist for shoegaze band Calvary, says Donut Dungeon has been a refuge for the group. Bellando’s age alone means Calvary has a very short list of venues they can play, but the Third Street location is always open to them.
“I love playing there, and they are also super sweet and super cool to me,” Bellando said. “And I really, really appreciate the fact that people of all ages can come have fun. Like I’ve seen there were high schoolers at our last couple of shows there, and that’s cool.”
Most local shows are hosted in bars or venues that sell alcohol on site. Restaurants are often less accommodating of the rock, punk and hip-hop acts Donut Dungeon is known for hosting.
Some bars can let 18-year-olds into select performances, but the decision lies solely with the bar owners. In Lexington, most choose not to take on the potential liability and restrict anyone under 21 from walking through the doors.
Calvary has played some shows at bars, but Bellando has been heavily restricted on when and where they can be in the venue due to their age.
“There have been times where I wasn’t even allowed on the premises unless I was loading in or on stage,” Bellando said. “I had to wait in my car for like an hour and a half one night during a show while other bands were playing.
“I also want to see these other bands, and it kind of feels unfair. I’m contributing to the show, you know. It’s been frustrating,” Bellando continued.
Bolton and Alguera spent much of their teenage years going to underground house shows. The idea for Donut Dungeon largely sprang from their lifelong bond over music.
While house shows are important to a local music scene, Alguera says it’s important to have a public venue for bands to build their audience.
“A lot of the bands have artists that are under 21. They love the venue because they’re able to come and play, and they don’t have anywhere else to play,” he said. “That was kind of the idea. We were seeing that the local music scene was dying in Lexington, and we just wanted to do something about it.”
It’s also important for young people to have a place to socialize.
Phil Lewis, 19, is a member of Yak Lyfe, a youth arts and music collaborative in Lexington. Yak Lyfe hosted two hip-hop shows at Donut Dungeon specifically because it’s accessible for people of any age.
“The average 18-year-old, all they really do is stay at home and just play games. It’s just not really nothing good, you know? It’s nothing really productive,” Lewis said.
But Donut Dungeon offered a space where young people can make new friends, enjoy music or even start playing themselves.
“I feel like a lot of young people are stuck on bad narratives and just bad energy,” Lewis continued. “With the Donut Dungeon, with it being a space for all ages, everybody can kind of start something there.”
Having a safe space for young people is about more than simply giving them something to do. Studies have shown safe programming for teens can reduce youth violence in a community. The city of Baltimore drastically decreased youth homicide numbers in 2025, largely due to major investments in sports programming, community centers, public pools and other recreational opportunities for teens.
Locally, the city organization ONE Lexington provides youth mentoring and programming for at-risk youth.
The importance of Donut Dungeon’s openness is not lost on local officials. The fire inspector who examined the venue, Brian Dalton, told the owners he admired the venue’s mission.
“He wants the venue to succeed,” Alguera said. “It’s awesome having that support from city officials.”
Alguera and Bolton have sought community support to fundraise for the needed renovations. As of Jan. 26, they have raised more than $9,000 on GoFundMe. They hope the community is willing to support a venue open to everyone, meeting a community need.
“We’re trying to do good,” Bolton said. “It’s probably cliche, but we do it for the kids that don’t have anywhere else to go … when kids don’t have a place to go, they’ll just be on the streets.”
But at Donut Dungeon, teens can be themselves.
“They’re safe there,” Bolton added. “They get to enjoy music. They get to be part of something.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
