Meet Shinita Briggs, Darla McCuen and Kim Haynes of Kookie Haven

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shinita Briggs, Darla McCuen, and Kim Haynes.

Shinita, Darla, and Kim, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Our mom started baking and selling cookies out of her home in the 90’s. The cookies were so good that Darla would enter them in her children’s contest and they would win. Nita’s husband (Clarence) asked if our mom had recipes for the cookies. Of course, she did not.

So, we began watching our mom mix the ingredients and stopping her each time to measure and capture the recipes on paper. We started baking cookies every Sunday to sell at our mom’s place of employment on Mondays.

Once we reached a 100 dozen per week, we decided in 2002, to open a storefront and named the business after our mom (Kookie). Kookie Haven was now open and selling cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, pound cakes, decorated cookies and cookie cakes.

After 2 1/2 years of operating the business in DeSoto, TX, we closed our doors and stated: “we would NEVER do it again”. Sadly our sister Tracey (November 2006) and our mom (March 2007) passed away within 4 months of each other. We dabbled in other business ventures and registered other business ideas while fasting and trying to decide which business we would launch.

Kookie Haven was re-registered in January 2014 and we proceeded to bake out of our home under the Texas Cottage Law. In January 2015, we decided to open another storefront. This time we selected Mesquite, Texas due to our previous residency and our ties to Mesquite ISD.

We contacted a close friend and leased a space in her building, known as Buckner Plumbing. We began renovating our new location and was set to re-open Kookie Haven in March of 2015! Sadly, our dad suddenly took ill and passed away, March 2015. We delayed the opening until May 2, 2015.

With our little sister Kim’s creative descriptions, we opened our doors with a new line of products and some of our previous menu items. Within 4 months of opening, we won our first award, “Best Business 2015 and we were honored to receive the same award in 2016” along with many other awards!

We were on a roll. Nothing could stop us now, are so we thought. After nineteen months of operation, we sadly closed our doors, unexpectedly. It took us 11 months to the day, to re-open our new location in Dallas, in the Jefferson Alliance area new Bishop Arts.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. We’ve been faced with financial difficulties, job layoffs, untimely deaths, exhaustion, illness and personal issues to name a few.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kookie Haven story. Tell us more about the business.
Kookie Haven is a family owned and operated business, specializing in the ultimate dessert experience. We offer a create your own line of cookies where customers can choose from a selection of in-house products to create their ultimate cookie flavor.

We offer the best of both worlds, a cookie and cupcake combo called the “Stuffer” and an incredible Vegan line.

We are most proud of our never give up attitude despite all of the obstacles we’ve encountered and our sincere desire to ensure every customer that comes through our doors feel valued and appreciated for sharing a moment of their time with us.

Our customer service and our ability to create a line of products that are amazing and worthy of a conversation. It’s not just dessert, it’s a conversation!

Pricing:

• We offer a 10% discount to firefighters, police officers and veterans.

Contact Info:

• Address: 337 W Jefferson Blvd Dallas, TX 75208
• Website: kookiehaven.com
• Phone: 972-373-4084
• Email: kookiehaven@yahoo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kookiehaven
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kookiehaven
• Yelp: www.yelp.com.mx/biz/kookie-haven-dallas

Image Credit:
Kalan E. Briggs (Photographer), Erin Lee Walsh (Mural), Gaston Made (Furniture), Sky Contracting (Build Out), Grafic Center Mesquite (Graphics)

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