January 9, 2019

Meet Christie Halverson of The Cookie Rack in Frisco

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christie Halverson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christie. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I have always had the dream of opening a bakery. As a little girl, I loved to experiment in the kitchen, and baking cookies became my specialty. As I went to college, the impracticality of following this dream made it easy to put it on a shelf. I got married, became a mother, and found myself immersed in life.

Happily, but too busy to spend any time on myself. As my oldest son was preparing to leave the nest, I found myself feeling a little frantic. What would I do with my time when these babies left to start their own lives? I had raised them to be strong and independent, and I knew I needed to be the same.

I was talking with a friend of mine, lamenting about my career as a full-time mom ending, and she politely (but firmly) told me to start figuring out what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be without them.

Long talks with my husband led to me rekindling the childhood dream of opening a bakery. I started small, just baking out of my home. Mostly, I was experimenting and giving away my cookies in exchange for feedback. As the feedback came in, and I began tweaking my recipes, we saw that I had something pretty special.

I started taking orders and found myself so busy that my home kitchen just could not keep up with the volume. So we began looking for a commercial space. I also wanted to have a classroom where I could teach cookie classes, so we knew it needed to be a decent sized. We found our location on Teel & Stonebrook and built it out to exactly what we want. We’ve been open a few weeks, and the reception with the community has been fantastic.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many struggles along the way. I like to joke that I am getting my Executive MBA right now in The Cookie Rack. I’m learning to manage suppliers, contractors, finance, projections, and human resources all in a single day! To go from a stay-at-home mom to business owner has been incredibly challenging, but also rewarding.

The Cookie Rack – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in gourmet cookies and cookie classes. Our cookies are large sugar cookies with a variety of buttercream flavors and garnishes. They are pretty to look at and different than any cookies you’ve ever had in your life. Our tagline is “pretty & unconventional,” and that’s how we’ve strived to create our business. We also sell gourmet sodas with delicious and unique flavor mix-ins.

Our Cookie School classes are a lot of fun. They are “Sip & Decorate,” so clients can bring in the beverage of their choice and a group of friends for a fun night out. We provide all the ingredients and instruction, and you take home all the cookies at the end of the night. Whether you are a beginner just picking up a piping bag, or an expert at royal icing, we guarantee you will learn something and have a good time.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of the biggest moments for me was seeing my sign go up on the building. I sat in the parking lot early in the morning and watched the installation as tears streamed down my cheeks. It was the visualization of my dream becoming a reality, and it seemed surreal.

It made me wish I could go back and tell that little girl who fantasized about having a bakery that she’d get her dream and so much more! I feel as though it’s the best example I can set for my children is to set out and go for your dreams no matter what.

It’s so fulfilling when I get to meet and interact with people as they try my cookies for the first time. It is so satisfying to hear how much people love them and it makes me so happy. I created each and every cookie, and bake them from scratch here in my store, so it feels incredible that other people like them, too.

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