CULLMAN – A new shop has opened its doors to the public recently, and the smell wafting in the air around it is absolutely heavenly. Raymond Earley and his wife opened their doors two weeks ago, and began distributing amazing fresh baked donuts and hot coffee to the masses. The shop is offering every kind of donut you can think of, and promises that you will have a friend every time you walk through their door.
“We opened our doors around two weeks ago,” said Earley. “This is actually a small, local chain that we came across. There is one in Pelham and one in Gardendale, and we ended up really liking their business and things just went from there.”
Being from Hayden, Earley discussed what it was about Cullman that he and his wife found appealing.
“We live out in Hayden right now,” he said. “And we have gotten to where we are coming through the Cullman area more, and we started noticing that this place was really booming. I just thought that I would really like to do business here someday, and it just so happened that we came across this franchise at the same time.”
For Earley and his family, the decision to become small business owners was not an easy decision, but one that was right for their family.
“I’ve been a working man all my life,” he said. “I was in construction for a long time, but with our little one [Earley’s daughter] it seemed like the right thing. It’s still hard because most of our time is spent here, but we are still together here.”
While donuts were an unexpected business to get into, this family has poured everything they have into it and are dedicated to serving quality products to their customers.
“What sold me on owning a donut shop was the atmosphere,” said Earley. “Most people who walk into a donut shop aren’t saying, ‘I’m really ticked off, I think I’ll grab a donut’. People come into a donut shop in a pretty great mood usually.”
Donut Joe’s delectable food is something you have to taste to believe. Fresh, warm and fluffy, these donuts take yummy to the next level. Sprinkles, jelly, cream filled and chocolate fill the trays in their display case; as well as one of their bestsellers the maple and bacon donut. Several different flavors of coffee line another wall giving off their sweet aroma. Prices at Donut Joe’s are reasonable with a dozen big beautiful donuts costing only $8.99 and combos like a donut with a small coffee only running $2.49.
For this family, they are gaining more than a paycheck through this business; they are gaining community and friends.
“This is a growing city with a small town feel and we love that,” Earley said. “We’ve put a lot of work into this place, and we are really enjoying meeting all the people. We hope to serve everybody well, and keep smiles on people’s faces.”
