By Ebony L. Morman 

Before Dustin and Colleen Wanemacher became the new owners of Your Mom’s Donuts, they were fans. The couple spent Saturday mornings visiting the Davidson Farmers Market during the summer of 2021 and that’s when they noticed the line at Your Mom’s Donuts’ booth. The line was a clear indication that the square-shaped donuts were worth giving a try. 

“The line for these donuts would be the entire length of the market,” Dustin Wanemacher says. “So we knew they were really good from there and then, we tried them and they were amazing. We knew the product was there, they had a pretty strong brand and a good following.” 

That line at the farmers market got Wanemacher wondering whether there was room for two donut vendors at the market.  He was already looking for a change, wanting to exit corporate consulting. With the popularity of donuts in mind, he began researching possibilities of becoming an additional option, perhaps capturing the attention of donut lovers who didn’t want to wait in Your Mom’s Donuts’ long line. Then early last year, the Wanemachers learned that Your Mom’s Donuts planned to close its doors. To them, the stars aligned. 

It’s been about 18 months since the couple purchased the shop from Courtney Ahern, who opened Your Mom’s Donuts in 2013 and ran the business until moving full-time to Charleston. Dustin oversees day-to-day operations while Colleen, who has a full-time corporate job, helps out with marketing. 

Since the couple took over, Wanemacher has been busy assuring their efforts stay true to their initial vision. One of the major changes included expanding beyond being take-out only for customers at the Matthews location. There had to be a space for customers to enjoy donuts and coffee with friends, a place for people to sit and stay for a while. In January, Wanemacher revealed the newly renovated space, which has plenty of seating. An added bonus is a vibrant photo op — an art wall that showcases a donut sculpture adorned with oversized versions of the shop’s classic donuts, decorated with large sprinkles. 

Streamlining the online ordering process, ensuring consistency in operations, and producing quality donuts were also priorities — and quality control starts with the dough. So after taste-testing and deliberation, the switch was made from a heavier dough that could possibly harden by the end of the day to a fluffier dough that stays fresher for longer, sometimes lasting a couple of days. Maintaining the same dough makers on staff, as well as kitchen lead Pascal Rossee, made that transition easier. They also hired a bakery consultant to help streamline processes. 

Now, they get to focus on experimenting with unconventional flavors outside of their classic donuts, which include cinnamon sugar, strawberry with sprinkles, and plain glazed. One of their new creative offerings was a pimento cheese donut. Offered in April, it included homemade pimento cheese with a hot sauce frosting drizzle. And there’s even talk of a guacamole donut, which has yet to make its debut. 

The Your Mom’s Donuts’ team consistently generates new ideas. That’s because Wanemacher prefers the creative process to be collaborative. 

“I encourage everybody to bring as many ideas as possible,” he says. “I like having our staff talk about what they think could be good and interesting. Then, we’ll work with our suppliers to see if something is popular that they’ve seen in the past. We all put our heads together to see what flavors might be good for that month.” 

The Specials menu typically showcases what’s in season. For instance, July is National Blueberry Month, so there’s a blueberry crumble doughnut made with housemade blueberry frosting and topped with pie crust crumbles. It’s also summer break, and the dirt cake donut (creamy chocolate frosting, Oreo cookie crumbs, and gummy worms) is something fun for children. Engaging with kids has been an added perk for Wanemacher. In fact, interacting with customers in general and seeing their faces light up when they taste donuts is what makes it all worthwhile, he says. 

While there has been a learning curve, Wanemacher’s enjoying this new chapter and growing with the community and their customers. 

“There were a lot of broken hearts when it was announced that Your Mom’s Donuts was going to close,” he says. “People are happy that we’re back and we’re pretty happy with a lot of changes that we’ve made.”