She estimated that the shop’s business was down about 20{c33c21346ff5e26ab8e0ae3d29ae4367143f0d27c235e34c392ea37decdb8bed} from last year but part of that was because they switched from six days a week to five in 2020. It was better than she expected.
“We haven’t been doing too badly,” she said. “We are building up to almost normal without churches.” On a recent Saturday, the 80 to 90 dozen doughnuts baked that morning had sold out by 11:30 a.m.
Donut Haven has your basic doughnuts and rolls — “nothing frou-frou” — all made by her husband, who got his start at Mister Donut 50 years ago.
At Pettit’s near 16th and Cass Streets in north downtown, retail is good on weekends and slow on weekdays, said co-owner Mark Pettit. That’s a switch because people aren’t taking pastries to work gatherings.
Mark Pettit chats with a customer at Pettit’s Pastry in Omaha.
As of July, he estimated that his wholesale business was down about 45{c33c21346ff5e26ab8e0ae3d29ae4367143f0d27c235e34c392ea37decdb8bed}. It had been picking up a bit but people don’t think of doughnuts when it’s hot, he said.
His stock in trade has been traditional glazed and cake doughnuts, but he created new varieties such as caramel-iced, glazed with Oreo crumbs and fresh strawberry and blueberry to compete with other shops.
It has been tough, but he’s never considered closing the business that has been in his family for three generations.
“God has taken care of us for 66 years. I don’t think He’s going to stop taking care of us now,” Pettit said. “It’s just another valley we have to go through.”
