A Rainier cookie biz moves to Tumwater, and an Olympia bakery converts to a co-op
Goodbye Main Street Cookie Company, hello Luv Cookies.
The longtime Rainier-based cookie business has closed and moved to Tumwater where it’s set to reopen Monday, Nov. 7 as Luv Cookies, said founder and now co-owner Joycelyn Zambuto.
“We needed the space, we needed to expand and we needed a new location,” she said, adding that the Rainier location was nearly 100 years old and only about 1,000 square feet. Her new site at 804 79th Ave. SE, Suite 104, is three times that size, Zambuto said.
The new location is off Old Highway 99, across from Olympia Regional Airport and next to Spud’s grocery store.
Buy why change the name of the business?
Zambuto said they couldn’t make the previous name proprietary because “main street” is such a common business name. But with Luv Cookies, the business was able to “secure a name that was ours,” she said. It wasn’t an easy decision, but made it with input from those she works with, including her business and life partner Ray Hardee, she said.
In keeping with the “love” theme, the cookies will be heart-shaped, but all the customer favorites and flavors will remain unchanged, she said.
They include the lemon-iced butter cookie, the pink-iced butter cookie, the decadent dark chocolate cookie, the triple chocolate cookie and the cookie that started it all: the chocolate chunk with toasted pecan and a little bit of coconut throw in, Zambuto said.
Other than the name, location and cookie shape, everything else will remain the same. Thecookies will still be produced from scratch, using real ingredients, not mixes, she said.
“It’s the same owner and same business,” Zambuto said. “I’m just ramping it up. It was either that or retire and I wasn’t ready for that.”
The business has 10 employees and is hiring, she said.
Luv Cookies is set to have a soft opening at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 7. The store’s regular hours are 9-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10-3 p.m. Saturdays. A grand opening is planned for Nov. 14.
Other business happenings
Blue Heron Bakery in west Olympia will become a community-owned cooperative in 2023, the business and Northwest Cooperative Development Center announced.
The NWCDC is helping the bakery with the conversion.
“Our intention is to keep the legacy of the bakery vibrant for future generations,” current owner Evan Price said in a statement. “We have been sustained through community support all these years, so it makes sense to entrust the bakery to our customers and workers.”
Price plans to continue on as a worker member of the cooperative, according to a news release.
The new Blue Heron co-op will be managed and owned by both consumers and workers. Both groups of members will have seats on the board of directors. Members can vote at membership meetings, run and serve on the board of directors, and are eligible to receive discounts and other benefits.
A member must be at least 18 and pay a one-time refundable membership fee of $77, according to the release.
The initial membership fees will be used to cover the purchase of the business from Price, including legal, accounting and administrative costs. Later, membership income will be held as equity in the co-op.
Individuals can sign up to join Blue Heron Bakery Community Cooperative either by visiting their store at 4419 Harrison Ave. NW, Suite #108 or online at blueheronbakery.com/join.
The incorporating board of the cooperative hopes to complete the transition of the bakery by the end of 2022. For more Information, email blueheronbakery@yahoo.com.
Meanwhile, in Tumwater, a developer is considering redeveloping a building on Port of Olympia property, according to the city.
The developer aims to turn the building at 300 Tumwater Blvd. SW into three spaces, including space for an arcade, restaurant and bar.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
