Eastvale Donut Shop A Sweet Spot For Lottery Hopefuls

EASTVALE, CA — Sunny Donut in Eastvale is selling more sugary confections than ever lately, especially on Powerball drawing days since being declared a "Lucky Retailer" by the California Lottery. The sign, along with another announcing "Millionaire Made Here" is bringing in more customers than ever, making Owner Son "Sunny" Chiem the lucky one, he contends.

Owner Son "Sunny" Chiem, a longtime lottery retailer, sold a match five number winning Powerball ticket worth over $6 million in June. That earned Chiem and his wife Lan Luu a $30,000 bonus from the Lottery, he said.

"We're so happy!" he said. "Surprised, yes, but so happy."

Much of that money has already been put right back into his shop.

Sunny Donut shops suffered from loss of business during the coronavirus shutdown and slow recovery from the pandemic, the owners said. With their bonus, they've purchased new equipment to better handle their growing franchise. They run two storefronts — one on Archibald Avenue and another on Limonite Avenue, both in Eastvale.

According to Chiem, word has spread that his store is lucky.

"Superstitious lottery players, including customers who'd never played, started showing up in large numbers after he sold the winning Powerball ticket," the California Lottery shared in a recent news release. "It's not unusual for businesses to see a spike in sales after selling a winning ticket because it earns the reputation as the lucky place to play the Lottery."

Three months after the winning ticket sale, the donut business is booming along with the sale of drinks and Lottery tickets.

"We have decorations, and people have heard we sold the big ticket," Chiem said. "Since the win, we've made more money. Customers come in and out, buying lottery tickets, and they also buy coffee and donuts. My business is increasing."

The California Lottery website has given California public schools more than $39 billion since it began in 1985. The Lottery has donated $35.8 million to Riverside County public schools thus far in the Fiscal Year 2021-22, according to the site. K-12 schools benefit the most, however, community colleges, universities and other academic institutions also benefit from this program.

Chiem says he loves it when customers win, which is good for education in California and his store.

"I keep dreaming one day I will hit the big one," he said. "That way, I'd be able to help education even more."