HELENA — Keeping a business open during the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many, and for Helena's Dirty Dozen Donuts the past few months hit the family-owned business particularly hard, but they are rebounding.
“We love this place and anything we can do to help and be there for the community and have a community there for us and serve people donuts,” Rowan Stevens, the Manager of Dirty Dozen Donuts.
The popular Helena donut shop just reopened, after being closed for several weeks.
In June the shop's general manager, one of its original employees passed away unexpectedly. They have also faced staffing challenges and recently updated some machinery.
“It's meant a lot to us to have a community that continues to care and support and still buy our Donuts despite our sporadic schedule, so it's just it's really heartwarming, you know, and it's nice,” said Stevens..
Stevens works with her siblings on creative donut concoctions, like butterbeer and peaches and cream.
“It's nice there's a sense of closeness that I don't think you'd get in a non-family owned business. And I always I'm able to work with people that I understand very well, so I would think that it runs a little bit smoother,” said Stevens.
Through being closed for weeks at a time, Stevens says that the business is putting its best foot forward to continue to make mornings a little brighter for customers.
“We'd love it if everyone just showed support by coming in, buying Donuts, having a coffee sitting down, and enjoying themselves, we're glad to be here. We're going to try and be here as long as we can. Any donut ideas that people want any like. Gift cards for friends that you want to buy. I'm just happy to be here,” said Stevens
Dirty Dozen is hoping to be open 7 days a week from 6 am until 12 to give Helena residents a chance to get their donuts.
