Former 7-11 building for sale, again

It’s been nearly two years since it was announced that Pinkbox Doughnuts had purchased the former 7-11 on Nevada Way and its plans to add it to the growing chain.

Those who have driven past the location and have been used to seeing the “Coming Soon” sign, will now notice that it’s been removed.

Last week, however, Bret Runion, owner of Desert Sun Realty, confirmed that while it’s not his listing, the former 7-11 on Nevada Way is again for sale, according to a new commercial MLS listing.

Spokesperson Lisa LaPlante confirmed Monday that the city has not had any recent communication from the owners of Pinkbox.

Boulder City Chamber of Commerce Jill Rowland-Lagan confirmed that she’s heard the growing donut chain will not be coming to Boulder City, at least not in that location.

“I think it is realistic to believe that a percentage of the population in B.C. wanted a viable business in a prominent location to be open and drawing in potential new customers to other locations by means of their marketing of said location,” she said. “And there is always a percentage of the population of B.C. that does not agree.”

After first buying the former Little City Grille building in 2023, the company said they would turn that small building into a Pinkbox location. However, by early 2024, that plan had changed and the same group purchased the old 7-11 and announced they would open Pinkbox in the larger location instead.

The company came before the Boulder City Planning Commission last year, asking for a variance from the city’s signage standard for businesses in order to put two giant poop imogis on the front of the building in a way that looks like they are holding it up.

But city code does limit the number of “free-standing advertising structures” a business can have and how far apart they need to be. A business with street frontage can have just one structure and a business with actual frontage on two streets can have two. But they need to be at least 100 feet apart. Pinkbox wanted three structures (two poo emojis and a separate freestanding sign) and so they went to the planning commission seeking a variance. The commission denied that variance request.

They also made local news in late September when Boulder City Co. Store owner Tara Bertoli put up a large banner on the side of her store, which read, “Get donuts and coffee on the other side of this pinkbox.” Because of the use of the name, colors and font, Bertoli was given a cease-and-desist letter from a company attorney who wrote that unless she took the banner down, she could face a $25 million lawsuit. It was taken down the same week.

“I wasn’t planning to keep it up forever because I hate the color Pepto Bismol pink for our town,” Bertoli told the Review at the time. “I would never intentionally leave the sign up because I feel it goes against what this town should reflect. I was trying to make a point.”

“A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that Pinkbox Doughnuts is owned by the Siegel Group. According to Pinkbox’s executive vice president and general counsel, Pinkbox is an Amazing Brands company. ”