For Faith Ko, Sara’s Donut Story is more than your average donut shop. Yes, there are the gourmet, pastry-style donuts themselves—each with its own unique flavor and a mother’s love literally baked into every box. The menu also changes often, so loyal patrons and first-timers alike are always treated to a new flavor, with a few classics sprinkled in.
But what has kept this shop going for 16 years isn’t just about what’s behind the glass. It’s a dream shared by a mother and her late daughter to create a happy place where people can slow down, feel at home, and indulge in a treat made just for them.
“When someone comes into my shop … even if it’s just for one minute, I want them to relax and be happy,” The longtime Flower Mound resident said. “It’s a happy place, so much so that I intentionally redecorate and change the store’s theme every two or three years. That’s something my daughter, Grace, loved doing with me.”
She added, “We had a lot of dreams together. And each time I come here, I know she is watching me.”
As everyone excitedly prepares for Mother’s Day on May 10, Faith says she has often experienced the holiday with a mix of love and heartache. On the one hand, she has a beautiful family by her side every day. She and her husband, Sung, have been married for 35 years and have three children, Samuel, Sarah, and Noel. All of them chip in at the donut shop whenever they get the chance, making it the quintessential family-owned-and-operated business. That said, Faith has had her share of losses.
Her father, Ilbo, passed away in 2020 after a long battle with lung cancer. The following year, Grace passed away due to a heart condition. She was just 21. In 2022, Faith lost her own mother, Young.
Grace’s passing was especially hard. The two were practically inseparable—especially when it came to Sara’s Donut Story.
Faith initially had aspirations of opening a bakery—something she’d dreamed of since she was a young girl growing up in Seoul, Korea. Every day on her way to school, she’d visit this one particular bakery for the smell of the warm bread, the welcoming atmosphere, and, of course, the delicious treats. That dream never wavered, even as she and her family immigrated to the United States in 1984. But because she also doubled as her father’s caretaker for many years, she knew owning a bakery would be too difficult. So, she pivoted to a donut shop with a pastry flair.
Grace always saw something special in the endeavor and would often be right by her mother’s side when she opened the store each day in the wee hours of the morning. Even when she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with plans to be a social worker, Grace never stopped talking about all the things they could do together.
Those dreams only deepened even after her health started to decline.
“She wanted me to open a bakery, and she wanted to be my partner,” Faith said. “When she got sick, we shared the same room for an entire year. We’d watch movies every night, and we’d talk about our dreams. She’d say, ‘Mommy … you need to have a bakery like this, and we can decorate it together.’ She had recorded music for me, but after she died, I erased it all because I didn’t want to be sad. I even thought about quitting the donut shop because the store made me think of her.”
Thankfully, she didn’t. In fact, Faith said she went out of her way to honor her daughter’s memory. She re-recorded the music Grace carefully curated for her and incorporated many of their shared dreams into her whimsical shop. On the first Mother’s Day after Grace’s passing, Faith said she received flowers and a card at the shop. They were from an anonymous customer, and the card read, “If Grace were alive, she would have done exactly the same.” To this day, Faith does not know who gave her such a wonderful gift, but it meant the world to her—and still does.
“Every Mother’s Day, I think of that customer and still have the flower jar that brought me so much comfort,” Faith said. “If they were to ever read this article, I hope they know I would love to meet them.”
Fast forward to today, and walking into Sara’s Donut Story is an experience like no other. It’s warm, cozy, and comforting. It’s a calm space away from all the noise and chaos outside. And yes, it’s also the best place to find an amazing donut, from a specialty bulgogi dumpling donut to all the classics you can imagine.
But more importantly, it’s a place where Faith can revel in wonderful memories of a mother and daughter’s dreams fulfilled.
To learn more about Sara’s Donut Story, please visit them on Instagram at @sarasdonutstory or stop in for a quick treat.
