Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Powell.
Hi Veronica, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am deathly allergic to Nuts (anaphylactic) and could never find sweets without worrying about the risk to have a reaction and had several near misses due to misinformation. After having my son, he became gluten and dairy intolerant. So, I would always bake sweets for the both of us after not finding safe options for us. This started The Cookie Crave which is a nut-free bakery that focus on a large selection of nut-free cookies and a large selection of gluten-free vegan cookies. I started out at farmers’ markets and events for 2 years prior to opening a brick-and-mortar.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I signed the lease on my retail store on 02/01/2020 and we opened our doors 1 week before Covid hit in early March. I have faced many struggles along the way however, if you would have asked me then would I still be open 2 years later I would say no. I couldn’t cancel my lease once Covid came and the rental company offered no assistance so I pivoted trying to focus on deliveries and online orders initially. Today I’m still trying to find ways to drive foot traffic into the store and increase business. However, we attend the Denton farmers market weekly and several other larger events like the state fair of Texas and the peach festival to let folks know about us. You can purchase our delicious cookies at one of the several events we do, the store, online or wholesale in some smaller stores around town. Failure is not an option for me I’m a single mom, so I’m doing this for my son and to also provide a safe space for those with allergies to enjoy my cookies and those that just want a great-tasting cookie. So even with the struggles of Covid, Inflation on ingredient prices, Slow sales, and several other things I wouldn’t take back owning this bakery and creating happiness through great desserts. I have over 35 flavors and continually create new flavors that come to my head. I would not have made it if it wasn’t for those that have supported my business and I appreciate each and every person that has helped us overcome these obstacles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the owner of the cookie crave, and I also do all of the baking. I bake fresh daily, and I also think of new recipes and sweet treats to add to the menu daily. With over 35 flavors, we keep 16 flavors in the store available at all times and rotate 4 of those flavors monthly. I love to bake; baking is my happy place, and I also feel you can bring happiness to others through great-tasting cookies. I am known for putting anything in a cookie from my famous peach cobbler cookies, or breakfast cookies that have pancake batter, bacon, and maple syrup to my strawberry margarita cookies. I’m most proud of taking that leap to open the store despite my fears, the struggles, and covid, etc. owning a business is the hardest thing I have every done and I have worked in corporate America for a long time since my background is in engineering. I bake fresh daily, and everything is homemade. I think what sets me apart is when you taste my cookies, I want you to feel like you were little baking cookies with your grandmother (that happiness that is shared with family through baking that some of us might have did growing up).
What are your plans for the future?
I’m looking forward to continuing to grow the business and let more people know about us, and possibly expanding out to another location in the future
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecookiecrave.com
- Instagram: @the_cookie__crave
- Facebook: @thecookiecrave
- Twitter: @thecookiecrave1
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cookie-crave-denton
