The Joe behind the dough

Joe's Donuts is located in Pelham. | Jon Goering

By Neal Wagner

Every morning before the sun rises, employees at Pelham’s Donut Joe’s are busy handcrafting and preparing what they see as edible works of art.

Using homemade doughnuts as a canvas, the chefs in the small building wedged between two sets of railroad tracks on Shelby County 52 use toppings ranging from Fruit Loops to bacon and maple syrup to paint a delicious scene behind the glass display cases lining the front of the store.

“We try to constantly innovate what we make,” said Donut Joe’s owner Richard Byrd. “We always try to make things to go with the season.”

About two-and-a-half years ago, Byrd opened the small business admittedly with some uncertainty.

Today, he has been having trouble figuring out where to park all the cars surrounding the business on Saturday mornings.

“I’m sure everybody was thinking ‘What is this crazy guy doing?’ when we opened,” Byrd said with a laugh. “All business is a risk. We just kind of rolled the dice on this one, and it has turned out great.”

After several businesses opened and closed in the small building in just a few years, Byrd “pretty much had to gut” the building and start from scratch.

“It was a pretty substantial investment,” he said. “But it is in a good, high-traffic area.”

Because Shelby County 52 serves as a major commuter route for those living in Pelham and Helena, most of the business’s first customers were people stopping in on their way to and from work.

Today, the donut shop has gained a loyal following, and is drawing visitors from all over the country.

“People come from Pelham, Alabaster, Helena, Hoover, Trussville, Mountain Brook, everywhere,” Byrd said. “We are supported by everyone locally, and that means a lot to us. We couldn’t do it without that local support.

“We actually get a lot of snowbirds who read about us on the Internet and stop by on their way to the beach,” Byrd added with a laugh.

By the time Donut Joe’s opens its doors at 6 a.m., its employees have been working for nearly four hours already.

“To do real donuts, you have to deal with dough. It’s got to rise before you can do anything with it, and there’s no way to rush that process,” Byrd said. “We make everything from scratch in the building.”

When the store opens, it sells everything from coffee to apple fritters to donuts topped with everything from Oreos to Fruit Loops. One of the restaurant’s newest offerings are called “Joe Pops.”

“It’s basically a doughnut hole on a popsicle stick with different toppings,” Byrd said. “The kids love them.”

As the seasons change, so do Donut Joe’s offerings. For example, the business features coffee blends especially for the Christmas season, and a pumpkin spice blend for autumn.

When warmer temperatures bring more outdoor events, the business is able to create enormous doughnuts for birthday parties and other social gatherings.

Byrd also said he is looking into the possibility of offering a delivery service for some orders to help spread the Donut Joes experience around the community.

“I knew it was a risk to open Donut Joe’s in this economy, but it has really paid off,” Byrd said. “It’s so nice to have the local support we do. We really appreciate it.

“I have a great staff and crew who do a fantastic job,” Byrd added. “From day one, everything has been great.”

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