CRANBERRY TWP — The Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop at the Cranberry Mall closed Sunday night after serving doughnuts for a decade.

A closed sign on the door asks patrons to visit the Washington, Pa., and Erie stores.

Metz & Associates, based in Dallas, Pa., near Wilkes-Barre, which operated the Cranberry franchise, has been consolidating its Krispy Kreme franchises in recent years.

Several years ago, it closed stores in Monroeville, Pleasant Hills, Greensburg, Collier and Robinson Township in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

Greg Polk, vice president of finance and administration for Metz & Associates, said when his company got into the franchise business, the Krispy Kreme prototype was to build big stores in big market areas.

That business model doesn’t work any more and has resulted in the company looking at smaller locations and partnering with other businesses such as Giant Eagle, he said.

“We’re looking for another location in that area. Unfortunately, we haven’t found it yet,” said Polk. “We’re hoping to get something in Cranberry or the area pretty quickly.”

He added there were a number of people who worked for the franchisee for a long time and they hoped to relocate to a new store.

Polk described Cranberry as “great folks and a great community.”

“We’re grateful for our great customers and their support. We hoping to serve them again soon. Hopefully, pretty soon,” he said.

The Cranberry shop opened at 4 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, to great fanfare with lines out the building and cars circling the drive-through several times on its opening day.

Those customers were unaware of the tragic events that were to occur a few hours later when terrorists crashed planes in Washington, D.C., New York City and Pennsylvania.

In recent years the franchise has lost some of its appeal. A stock scandal in the mid-2000s rocked the company, more breakfast competition has come from other franchises and a more health conscious public is looking for healthier breakfast alternatives.

The Krispy Kreme site at the Cranberry Mall was the previous home of a Hardee’s restaurant before the doughnut franchisee razed that building in 2000. The building now is for sale.

CB Richard Ellis, a Pittsburgh-based commercial real estate broker, lists the 5,100-square-foot building. The 1.02 acres could accommodate a 44,470 square-foot building.

Krispy Kreme’s corporate office did not return a call or e-mail seeking comment Monday.