It was an exciting first week for the Contreras family of Small Town Mini Donuts, the newest local business to pop up in Elizabeth.

Small Town Mini Donuts is located on Main Street in the historic Elizabeth Hotel building. With high vaulted ceilings and wide skylights, the space is a perfect location for locals to sit and enjoy freshly cooked doughnuts and sip locally-brewed coffee.

The Contreras family is new to the doughnut business but have had the dream of opening their own shop for three years.

“Doughnuts make people happy,” said Adrienne Contreras. “I have always had a dream of owning my own doughnut shop and dreamt of the hot mini donuts I would enjoy as a child at Wyoming county fairs. It just made sense to explore that dream further.”

Since their official opening day on Dec. 6, business at the tiny doughnut shop has been booming. “We’ve had lines out the door,” said Dan Contreras. “People are super excited to have doughnuts in Elizabeth.”

Raymond Yruegas, Elizabeth resident and recent patron of Small Town Mini Donuts, is particularly excited for the new business to open. “Having the doughnut shop come to Elizabeth was a great idea for the town,” said Yruegas. “I hope it brings more life to downtown.”

Small Town Mini Donuts isn’t like your typical grab-and-go doughnut shop with a large case of pre-cooked donuts. Instead, members of the Contreras family hand-fry the donuts in small batches for each individual order. Customers can choose from 12 variations of toppings or build their own. Each batch of doughnuts is served warm and ready to eat.

The Contreras family put a lot of thought into the names of their doughnuts. Wanting to focus on community and family, two doughnuts are named after their children, McKenzie and Kennedy.

“I really love apple fritters, so I thought my doughnut should have apples in it,” said 12 year-old Kennedy Contreras. “The Kennedy donuts are covered in powdered sugar and a vanilla glaze. Then we put apple pie filling on top.”

Many others are named after local places and events. The Stampede donuts, for example, come covered in a caramel and chocolate drizzle with coconut flakes on top, while the Main Street donuts are covered in cinnamon and sugar. Others include Pikes Peak, Schoolhouse, and County Fair, all with their own unique toppings.

In addition to mini doughnuts, the doughnut shop also serves hot and cold beverages including locally-brewed Crowfoot Valley Coffee based out of Castle Rock. The Contreras family has a goal to keep their business as local as possible.

In addition to their local focus, the Contreras family have a very customer-service centered approach to their doughnut business.

“We think customer service is lacking in the food industry and we wanted to create a space and a product that would bring joy to people, especially after the pandemic,” said Adrienne Contreras. “We want our business to maintain its small town feel. We want to get to know the local people and build relationships.”

“They have the best customer service,” said Yruegas. “It’s like ordering doughnuts from family because of how nice they are to you.”

As of press time, Small Town Mini Donuts was hiring for its morning shift from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. “We have been extremely busy,” said Dan Contreras. “We need to hire somebody immediately.”

For more information or to apply, visit the website at smalltownminidonuts.com.