Opening any business comes with several challenges. Opening a small business amidst a deadly pandemic is a whole other story.

Daylight Donuts, a Jewish-owned doughnut shop in Chesterfield that features a multitude of other sweet treats along with coffee drinks and boozy milkshakes, has flourished even under these trying conditions. Andrew Selman, a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona and Drs. Daniel and Julie Ring, of United Hebrew Congregation, own the shop, located at 155 Hilltown Village Center, and have fostered its rapidly growing success.

“The Rings and I had seen this empty restaurant and we decided that we wanted to make it not empty anymore,” Selman said. “We looked at a lot of different ideas before we settled on Daylight Donuts. But once we decided on a concept and the direction we wanted to go [it was just a matter of time before it was a reality]. There was the licensing and permits, finding a builder, working with the vendor, and moving through the construction stage.”

Despite the long, tedious process of getting the business going, in the end there proved to be many rewards.

“My favorite part of the shop is just interacting with people,” Selman said. “One of the things I enjoy most is when the little kids come in, and they stand in front of the case and point to the doughnuts they like best. Just to see the smile on their faces when they get the doughnut they want is really exciting for me.”

Another exciting aspect of the shop is how culturally diverse its employees are.

“We have a very diverse staff that truly enjoys each other’s company,” Selman said. “Judaism talks about multiculturalism a lot, and so we are very proud of the fact that we take in a lot of different cultures and ideas, and we try to incorporate them into the food we make.”

Within this highly diverse staff is a group of hark-working teenage employees. Jordan Ring, a junior at Marquette High School and the Rings’ daughter, assumed an essential, customer service position at the shop alongside her parents.

“I was very excited to hear my parents were going to open the shop,” Jordan Ring said. “I knew it was going to be a place where people can hang out as well as eat good doughnuts and frozen custard, so I was really looking forward to it.”

Being in such a familiar, comfortable atmosphere added to the close-knit, family-friendly feeling of the shop.

“My favorite part of the shop is the environment because my parents are there and a few of my other friends work there,” Jordan Ring said. “The environment is just very loving and caring, and the interactions are much more light- hearted.”

Another member of the teenage staff, Alexis Baumgarten, says she was eager to discover a new opportunity as a barista at Daylight Donuts.

“Previous jobs I had worked at were not a very exciting environment,” said Baumgarten, a senior at Parkway Central High School and member of United Hebrew. “I wanted to find somewhere that was a little bit of a smaller company, family-owned and local to get involved with.”

In this new position, Baumgarten says she was well-trained and learned a lot about the art of making coffee drinks.

“I have also learned about strong customer service and communication skills, and that a positive work environment is possible,” Baumgarten said. “The owners have hired good, valuable, hardworking employees that all want to see the shop succeed and want the best for the shop and all the people that work there.”

As the weather becomes warmer, Daylight Donuts hopes to welcome more customers with additional outside seating, a variety of ice cream and other sweet treats and a friendly staff.