If it hasn’t been made evident by now, we love people here at AAT! We love hearing about their stories and passions for our community, but we also love hearing about what our fellow locals do and why they do it! For example, we have some wonderful neighbors who own/manager some fantastic local businesses and serve our town tremendously by doing so! This fact is why AAT has partnered up with our good friends at B3 Glass, to bring you all “Small Business Fridays!” Each week, we’ll feature a different, local small business and talk with its owner and hear about their journey, their business in general, as well as their heart for their customers and our city.
This week’s small business interview was challenging! Not because the person being interviewed was difficult, but because I (Anthony Crosby) have been disciplining myself when it comes to my diet lately. Therefore, when I walked into this week’s featured location, Donuts N Mor, I was greeted with a Heavenly array of tempting smells! Beautifully made donuts were sitting in the front of the shop; mouth-watering brownies were being baked in the back. It was all almost too much to handle! Furthermore, Donuts N Mor’s owner, Victoria Gravelin, is so generous, she would have let me walk out with any treat I wanted. However, I stayed strong, grabbed some lemonade, and focused my attention away from satisfying my sweet tooth to talking with a sweet woman, instead.
Thank you for joining us this week, Victoria. You and your business are beloved by many in our town, and we’re glad you’re here. However, I have to ask, how did you come to own a bakery in the first place? “I came to Elko, from Reno, for my granddaughter’s birthday is 2004. While I was sitting at my hotel, waiting to go to dinner, I saw that my favorite place to have breakfast, when I was in town on the weekends, was up or sale (Donuts N Mor). I went back to Reno and made them (the owners at the time) an offer. We spent a week in negotiations; after that week, we came to an agreement. Thirty days later, August nineteenth, 2004, I walked across the street from Nevada State Bank to take possession of Donuts N Mor! I asked my daughter, Kaite if she would quit her job, so we could run the business together. She agreed and has been here for the duration, as well.”
How was it starting? Did you have much experience in the donut realm beforehand? “I’ve never owned a business like this before in my life, so I had to learn everything from the ground up. I worked with bakers at night for a couple of weeks to learn how to make the donuts. My vendor from Reno brought a master baker in for two or three days to teach us. I also belong to the Retail Bakers Association, and they have a huge network; if I ever need to know something, I can talk to a fifth-generation baker at any time! I made sure to get a network like that established just in case I ever got into trouble and needed help to make things right.”
“The rest of the business (cakes and catering) grew at the request of my customers. If they needed me to do something for them, I would do it. If they’re getting married, we’d do the food, drinks, cake, everything! Moreover, because we started doing more things, we had to move to a bigger location, our current location (673 Cimarron Way #500). We opened here in June of 2016. I still have customers, two and a half years later, who have no idea where our current location is; we’re here! We had to move into a larger space because, yes we do donuts, but the “Mor” in Donuts N Mor is massive!”
Victoria, what do you love about owning Donuts N Mor and working in its kitchen, every day? “When my customers walk through the door, they automatically put their arms up because they know I am a hugger! I love each person who comes in here; without those customers, I don’t get to be here. I have a point of making sure I do everything I can for them. The same goes for my employees; without them, I can’t do what I do.”
Finally, Victoria, you came in and took over a beloved Elko staple and made it your own. What are your thoughts on the Elko community since coming over, fulltime, from Reno? “It’s one of the kindest, most thoughtful communities there is. If somebody has an issue here, all they have to do is wait a minute, and somebody will be there to rally around them. I, myself, participate in many things for the schools and community because whatever somebody needs, I’m going to try my best to get it for them. If people need me, I’m here in the shop, every day!”
You can stay caught up on everything going on around here at AAT by checking out our “Stay Connected” page! Make sure you never miss a feature!
See you around, Elko!
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