Classic Cookie, one of the original shops in McComb’s Edgewood Mall, has new owners, and they’ve already begun putting their signature stamp on the business.
Charles and C.J. Nason bought the sweets shop in October, and changes came quickly.
Seeing an opportunity to offer something different to hungry shoppers, Classic Cookie began adding to its fare of Blue Bell ice cream flavors and freshly baked cookies. They now sell Nathan’s all-beef hot dogs, Ortega nachos and cheese, corn dogs, pizza by the slice, chips and gourmet coffee.
The Nasons would likely add more in the food line, but space is at a premium in the shop in the mall, and Charles said some remodeling or enlargement would be necessary.
The added food lines have helped the shop pick up plenty of momentum during the busiest buying season of the year. But Classic Cookie has always been about those sweet treats.
There are always 20 flavors of Blue Bell premium ice cream ready to be scooped into waffle cones, sugar cones and cups. Chocolate and vanilla are standard favorites, but kids have a different eye for treats.
“Kids love the Krazy Kolors flavor,” he said.
It’s just vanilla ice cream with food coloring added, but kids eat it up, literally.
“They just love it. Kids are so visual,” Charles said.
Another popular flavor with the young customers is the birthday party blend that appears polka-dotted. There’s even a cake batter flavor. And right now, there are peppermint and pumpkin flavors, both of which are in stock only seasonally.
Want something added to your ice cream? There are plenty of toppings — from nuts to Butterfinger pieces to white chocolate chips — to add to the treat.
If a cup or cone isn’t what you want, Classic Cookie also offers malts and shakes. For those who are watching their intake of sweets, there’s a sugar-free vanilla ice cream.
Cookies are bigger now and are 99 cents each or $10.99 for a baker’s dozen of 13. Day-old cookies are packaged to sell as well.
Then there are the big cookies — the really big ones, the “cakies.” They start at $19.95 and can be decorated in just about any theme. There are other special ways to send a “cakie” message, such as seasonal shapes. For Valentine’s, expect the offer of heart-shaped cookies, Nason said.
“You’re only limited by your imagination,” he said.
A day’s turnaround from order to pick-up of a “cakie” is common, but it’s possible to get same-day service if customers call early enough.
Classic Cookie also has “cakie” cookies by the slice and different brownie flavors.
The Nasons buy the Tennessee-based Classic Cookie name-brand dough in bulk, but employees in McComb do all the rest and bake daily.
Charles and C.J. bought the business just as the Christmas shopping season was launching. When mall anchor stores announced they were opening at 3 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving, Classic Cookie was there to keep hungry, hyped-up shoppers warm and well fed, with sausage and biscuits, coffee and cookies. They sold more than 500 cookies on Black Friday, Charles said.
The food business is new to the Nasons, but Charles said it’s a direction that interests him down the line.
“We’ve been very happy with this,” Nason said. “This is a good step for me.”
The mall food court restaurants have diminished over the years, making way for more retailers. Classic Cookie can offer customers with a 30-minute lunch break a meal on the fly. Or it can accommodate someone who wants to come in, make a purchase for food or drink and take advantage of food court seating.
The Nasons don’t have many dull moments, tending to Pineapple’s on Delaware Avenue and their temporary Edgewood Mall location, and their other business interests.
“We’ve been working seven days a week for months now,” Charles said.
But when the opportunity to buy Classic Cookie came knocking, he said, “it was a no-brainer.”
“If you wait, it passes you right by,” he said.
