Cool Communities: Strip District

Jeannie McGartland described the blueberry doughnuts at Peace, Love and Little Donuts as "life-changing."

McGartland, a sophomore acting major, said she first saw the doughnuts when she went with friends to the Strip District.

"We saw people walking around with bags of little doughnuts, and I was like, 'What are those?  We have to get some,'" McGartland said.

Now she is sold on them because they are fresh, small and she does not feel "gross" after eating them.

For Ron Razete, owner of the store at 2018 Smallman St., McGartland's endorsement is part of a long line of positive feedback that has turned a whim into a business.

Ten years ago, Razete bought some doughnut-making equipment that came without a manual or directions. He set it up in his living room.

"We thought, 'may as well plug it in and see if we can make a doughnut,'" Razete said.

From there, the experiment grew to a doughnut concession business, even working outdoor events. When customers complimented them on their doughnuts, Razete and his family "just thought they were being nice."

After the success of their first indoor event, a four day-long hockey tournament last year, Razete began to consider opening a permanent shop. His wife was not enthusiastic at first. They had already concluded that health regulations and the cost of equipment and rent made a shop not worth their while.

However, after looking at possible locations, they decided to give it a try because "the Strip still has some of its vibrancy."

Due to the fact that Razete did not want to miss even one sale, Peace, Love and Little Donuts opened in August on the day of its health inspection. It has proven to be wildly popular. One Saturday last month, customers lined up outside the door for five hours. The little and mini doughnuts range in price from 75 cents for a simple single doughnut to $13.50 for a dozen fancier doughnuts.

Razete attributes the doughnuts' popularity to their freshness, adding that he knows all the bakeries in the area and none sell doughnuts as fresh as his. Customers watch while the bakers add toppings to the doughnuts at Peace, Love and Little Donuts.

When the shop first opened, Razete and his family made only mini doughnuts with powdered sugar or cinnamon topping and traditional vanilla dough. An expanded menu now includes old-fashioned, blueberry and devil's food, with a variety of frosting, sprinkles and other toppings in both mini and little sizes.

"I usually eat one doughnut a day, and that is the blueberry," Razete said.

Razete said they go through hundreds of pounds of batter per weekend. His youngest son, who is 11, mixes the batter. The other four children also help their father in the doughnut shop, as does their mother when she is not working.

"It is a family affair," Razete said.

Chelsea Carroll, a sophomore dance major, noticed the family behind the counter "smiling and waving" the first time she went to the shop. One reason she likes the doughnuts so much is that they are made by a local, family-owned business.

Customers often praise the doughnuts at Peace, Love and Little Donuts as the best they have ever had. Razete cites word-of-mouth as their only marketing. 

"Our only advertising is making a ridiculously good doughnut," Razete said.