Jenny Cookies Bake Shop: More Than A Cookie

This week marks the end of a very special chapter of my life.  The sale of Jenny Cookies Bake Shop.  

I started baking cookies back in 2006 when Ally wasn’t even a year old.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what rolling out that first batch of cookie dough was going to turn into. What started as an activity to fill time, turned into a creative personal outlet that would go on to achieve success I couldn’t have ever believed at the time.

Fast forward a few years filled with trials and errors like experimenting with new decorating styles and creative techniques, mastering the recipe, and then gaining the confidence to share this recipe with the community by launching the first “Jenny Cookies” class.  Those classes gave me wings to fly with this new “business” I had created in my home kitchen as a brand new stay at home mom.  

From teaching local cookie classes to years of flying back and forth to LA to create dessert tables for celebs and big brands, the Jenny Cookies community continued to grow.  My blog was gaining a large increase in traffic from all over the world.  Social media was new to the scene, and with its help Jenny Cookies was being recognized by top entertaining websites and pages across the country.  I was even offered a book deal to share my ideas and recipes.  

In those early years, I thought many times about opening a bakery.  I looked at empty spaces and imagined how I’d decorate mine.  It was always in the back of my head that someday I’d open a space to share my confections with the community.  In the meantime though, I was busy raising two little kids, balancing home life with party ideas, dessert inspiration and a growing social media following.  

By 2016, both of my kids were in school and the itch to open a bakery was back.  We found a space very close to our home and signed a 5 year lease.  I had no idea what I was doing!  I’d never worked in a bakery, never operated a retail space, and surely never dreamed we’d have a line wrapped around our building on opening day.  

That little bakery we opened in 2016 achieved more success than anyone could have imagined.  We were off the beaten path with little to no foot traffic, but you guys showed up not only every time I launched a new menu or hosted an event, but you made Jenny Cookies Bake Shop part of your week, part of your special days with your family, part of your holidays, and part of your life.  

I can’t count how many events and theme days we offered over the years.  From our infamous “Disney Days” where our kitchen would be covered in pixie dust sprinkles and cinnamon sugar from all the churro toffee, the community showed up dressed in ears, princess costumes and waited hours for our themed treats, to Metro pop ups for themes like F*R*I*E*N*D*S, Taylor Swift Eras, and our annual Metro De Mayo celebrations, you always came. It’s cliche to say, but the event days were truly magical. 

Those event days were fun for the community but also for our team.  I loved dreaming up a theme day and then working alongside the Cookie Squad to create a menu that coordinated the event.  Pajama Parties with breakfast themed sweets, an 80’s lunch with all your nostalgic flavors and lunchbox treats,  Pet Day, Dog Day, School Picture Day, Halloween Costume Parties, Cookie Camp, Under the Sea Day, Metro Pop Ups, The Big Cookie Give, Elf Day, Easter Egg hunts around the community…I can’t even list all the things because they were endless.  Those days were my favorite.  I loved seeing the community get excited to be a part of whatever we were doing. 

While we were local to Lake Stevens, my audience grew nationwide.  The Cookie classes may have started back in the early days but continued year after year, and state after state.  I used to wonder if there was anyone left who hadn’t taken my class.  It was apparent by the boom of decorated buttercream sugar cookies that the country either took the class, read my blog, or had my cookbooks.  It was wild!  I loved sharing my recipe, tips and tricks with eager bakers wanting to grow their craft, friends wanting to get out of the house together, mothers and daughters and sometimes even grandmas coming to learn a new skill together.  It was a 2 1/2 hour break from the world, filled with sprinkles and buttercream.  

We accomplished some big goals together at the bake shop.  Our cookies were served 10,000 feet in the air on Alaska Airlines flights, served in Microsoft’s cafes, and in Nordstrom E-bars.  I was sooo proud seeing my cookies for sale in the Nordstrom display case at the mall I grew up shopping at, so you can only imagine my joy when we had the opportunity to open our own store in that same mall in 2020.  What started out as a little 6 week holiday pop up at Alderwood Mall turned into 2 years of extending our lease and offering treats to our audience further south.  The mall store was one of my favorite bake shop accomplishments. 

I could go on forever talking about all the fun things we created, hosted, and offered over the years at the shop, but my biggest takeaway will always be the people.  The community we created that originated from a silly sugar cookie will forever be my favorite part.  Our customers became friends, some even turned into employees!  I watched your kids grow up from babies to pre teens and had an opportunity to be a part of some of your big life moments.  I’ll never forget the stories you shared or the moments you included my cookies and treats in your celebrations.  

On a personal level, my closest friendships were formed because of a cookie.  Whether it was a cookie event where I made a friend, to an employee who became a best friend, or a customer who was obsessed with cookies, I met the best people in my life because cookies were the common denominator.  I’m so grateful for the opportunities I had over the years and the memories made.  The bake shop will always hold a special place in my heart.  

I’ve always felt like the business I created was “more than a cookie”.  It was the heart behind the cookies.  It was the people.  It was you!  When it came time to sell the shop, I couldn’t have dreamed of finding a more perfect fit to hand this business off to than Kim and Brandon of Wander.   They share the same beliefs, love for people, and they are so excited to get to know you and serve the Lake Stevens community. I hope you will continue to love their business the way you did mine all these years.  

Thank you for all the years of support and love.  For more info on the new owners, check out our recent episode of The Baker and The Banker Podcast.  And stick around here, I’m not going anywhere!