Harold's Doughnuts,
Sprinkling Positivity.
Why Harold's Doughnuts?
Harold’s Doughnuts is a local donut shop in Columbia, Missouri. There are two locations, one is on 9th Street and the other one is located on Nifong. The second location on Nifong opened two years ago. Our focus is on the original location on 9th Street in downtown Columbia which opened four years ago. Harold’s Doughnuts was founded by Michael and Karli Urban. Harold’s Doughnuts is now owned by Michael Urban. The donut shop was inspired by Harold Meyer who worked at an auto store where his main goal was to make people happy. He loved what he did. Harold Meyer’s mother used to make donuts from scratch, with the intent of making people happy and bringing them joy through donuts, just like Harold Meyer did in his profession. With the combination of these two, Harold’s Doughnuts was born. Harold’s Doughnuts prides themselves on using quality ingredients and going above and beyond in their customer service. Their slogan is "Love Your Craft."
Harold’s Doughnuts is open from 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. every day besides Monday. Harold’s Doughnuts offers more than just hand-crafted donuts. They have birthday party experiences and team building experiences where you can learn to make your own donuts. They also host Happy Hour at Harold’s with half priced menu items. They have an extensive menu containing classic donuts, craft donuts, special creation donuts, bakery items, and beverages. Harold’s Doughnuts frequently comes up with festive flavors for the seasons. A few examples are: a margarita donut for Cinco de Mayo, girl scout cookie themed donuts, a pecan pie inspired donut for the holiday season, and they have even created donuts for dogs! Harold’s Doughnuts collaborates with other popular businesses in downtown Columbia. They have collaborated with Hot Box Cookies, Founders Brewing Co., Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream, Missouri Wines, and Barred Owl Butcher.
We created a poll using google forms to survey people about what their favorite donut from Harold’s Doughnuts was. After creating the survey, we made a poster with the QR code and hung them up at the store to survey customers about what their favorite donuts were. After getting the results, we created donut charts to visually organize the responses from the poll. Take a look at them on the infographic page to see which donut came out on top.
The photo sequence covered long time employee, Austin Jones. We captured moments from his life outside of Harold’s Doughnuts as well as his experience within his job. His relationship with the customers and his coworkers is very strong. “Talking to the customers is the best part of my day. Seeing new customers is always exciting, but I really feel like I am friends with some of our regular customers. I’m so lucky to be able to create these relationships,” Jones says. Aside from his passion for making donuts, Austin Jones also has a band called “Austin Jones and the Bootheel Boys.” His passion for people and music shines through in our photo sequence.
For the TV Style Video, we interviewed another Harold’s Doughnuts employee, Lela Rice, and a customer Gabriel Jacobs. These interviews helped show the welcoming nature of the local donut shop. It shows how employees are making an impact on the community. The video was also able to capture a sense of what it is like inside the shop itself, what a regular customer thinks, and mentions a few of the wild donut creations.
We also did an in-depth interview with Lela Rice. She taught us how to make her favorite donut. In this interview, we learn a little more about why the donuts from Harold’s Doughnuts are special. We learn what sets them apart from the rest and get an idea of just how homemade these donuts are. Lela Rice, 24, says, “I just love having this job. All we’re doing is just making people happy. What’s better than donuts to put someone in a better mood?” Rice has worked there for four years. Her quote really echoes the mission statement of Harold’s Doughnuts. It all about making people happy and loving what you do, "Love Your Craft."
Lastly, the team went to Harold’s Doughnuts on a typical Friday morning to see just how Harold’s Doughnuts operates. We spoke to a few customers and brought the typical trip to Harold’s Doughnuts to twitter.
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Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Sarah Bush
Sarah Bush
Grace Elliott
Alyssa Klimkiewicz
My name is Sarah Bush and I am a freshman at the University of Missouri. I am double-majoring in broadcast journalism and sports management. I hope to pursue a career in sideline reporting.
My name is Grace Elliott and I am a sophomore at the University of Missouri. I am a strategic communications major with a business minor. I plan on going into advertising and marketing after graduating in 2021.
My name is Alyssa Klimkiewicz and I am a freshman at the University of Missouri. I am a journalism major and plan to go into strategic communications: account management. I will also be minoring in business.