Add "selected" in a based on value from database

Add "selected" in a based on value from database

how do I select the correct value in a when I get the value from a
database on page load?
I have this code now, but when it runs it gives the attribute "selected"
to every number after the given number from the database.
<?php
$i = 8;
while ( $i <=24 ) {
if ($i == $store_info['weekdays_open_time']) {
$selected = " selected";
}
print ("<option value='" . $i ."'" . $selected . ">" . $i . "</option>");
$i++;
}
?>