Meet Ashley Brown & Faye Jones, (she/her) co-owners of Cookie Therapy ALB. Everybody loves a good cookie, and what the world needs now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current human crisis is a smile. That’s the business Ashley and Faye have created - “518’s original 6oz cookie” - otherwise known as 518’s original 6oz of pure heaven.
We wanted to address on a serious note why we took a hiatus from posting The Pandemic Project. What’s going on in the world is pure tragedy - between the injustice of so many humans to the rising death toll of the Coronavirus, we felt it was appropriate to take some space off of social media in solidarity for the cause to make space for other voices on those platforms. Upon entering this week, we decided we need to keep telling the stories of the people in the Capitol region. We have interviewed people of all nationalities, backgrounds, walks of life. Each human we have talked to, and have yet to talk to, shares a unique experience, their voices deserve to be heard on how they are weathering specifically this pandemic as we are not out of the woods yet and the worlds of millions of people are forever changing. We have many more humans and businesses to share - many have been and are still effected from the Pandemic.
The story of Cookie Therapy ALB was born right around the time the COVID pandemic started.Ashley and Faye are two entrepreneurs who started baking giant cookies as their way to cope with the world amidst a pandemic. “We both had always found it (baking) therapeutic for our own anxieties.” Ashley and Faye had both had their full time careers put on hiatus. Ashley is a full time photographer who owns her own business, and Ashley tells us “Faye was working in financial marketing and was laid off from her job.” With the passion to bake and desire to cope with the “new” normal and quarantine, the (cookie) Therapists were in office! “We found a lot of our family and friends were expressing interest in the cookies we were creating, so we decided to start offering them up for sale and things skyrocketed from there.”
‘Sky rocket’ is definitely modest and a gross understatement from co-owner Ashley. In just a little over three months, Cookie Therapy ALB has become a NATIONWIDE sensation with over 8k followers on Instagram, and selling out weekly. Who knows what the future will hold for Ashley and Faye, they’ve created something so amazing out of such a negative time in the world. "We've been so busy and seeing such positive return from our hard work that haven't had time to be negative! We both thrive when we are busy so it's really helped our mental state.”
With the uncertainty of how things will continue to operate as protocols change, Cookie Therapy doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Their unique ‘drive up’ cookie delivery and nationwide shipping keeps them ridiculously busty. They also have unique ordering times, so you must stay up to date with them via social media. They are also constantly changing their flavors and collaborating with other local businesses throughout the capitol region, incorporating their flavors and products in their cookies. The community does NOT stop there though- recently focused efforts on their community including reading The Peace Book live with United Way, a cookie delivery to Ellis Medicine, and Mohawk Car Dealerships as well as a donation of hundreds of cookies to Feed Albany.
“Our business does not know life outside of a pandemic, so it's hard to gauge” when asked how COVID has effected any aspect of the business. Ashley tells us “we think it (COVID-19) has helped us in a lot of ways, like having a captive audience of people who are sitting home and craving comfort food. It also gained us access to a commercial kitchen that we otherwise wouldn't have had access to. We're very curious to see how Cookie Therapy grows and develops post COVID. The challenge has been staffing, procuring supplies & managing our families at the same time since our kids are out of school.”
Seeing this team in action was truly remarkable. While there were cars consistently pulling up, boxes to the ceiling, and staff in the kitchen whose hands never stopped moving - they all had a smile on their face. Not only does it reflect their leadership, but it reflects on the will these people have to put these sweet treats together for their customers.
Now more than ever, we have to take time out for us, to rejuvenate and refocus… and treating ourselves isn’t a bad idea either. In past stories we’ve talked all about self love and championing passions - and those two things are literally the epitome of what Cookie Therapy ALB is. It’s giving into your sweet tooth, and supporting a small business who was born out of strife and has evolved into a cookie monopoly (and we are NOT complaining)!
Ashley leaves us with some advice as we navigate life through this pandemic, and valuable lessons for post pandemic. “Being adaptable, creative and willing to shift instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself is so important. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Don't be afraid to take a chance. Any business requires a blind leap of faith. Seek our mentors, be willing to adapt, and always be looking ahead.” That is the truth, you have to do things that make you uncomfortable, that means you’re pushing your boundaries. That’s how you grow. I always say that if I’m not learning something, what’s the point - and that’s what we have to take out of this - you owe it to yourself. As we’ve stated before, everyone is grieving the pandemic differently, this isn’t us telling you how to handle your time. It’s just a sign if you need it that you’re GREAT, and YOU can make a change if you take a chance. Whether it’s a small change, or being part of a bigger picture, give yourself the gift of taking a chance on yourself.
Ashley loves the OG chocolate chip and Faye is all about their Margarita cookie… but me? Personally, their ‘Down & Dirty” dirt cake cookie had me at ‘hello’. I’ve never had such a rich, moist cookie. I had to eat it in three portions, and each time it was still as moist as the first - they must make these with magic. They are generally making new flavor batches each week while supplies last, and also dropping some flash sales along the way. If you’re interested in seeing what they’re all about, drooling over your phone, and/or placing an order - make sure you stop by cookietherapyalb.com, @cookietherapyalb on Instagram.
Come on in, your Therapists will see you now.
// Please note all quoted statements above are those of Ms. Brown and Ms. Jones, and not reflective Faiella Studios.