DUNKIRK, Ind. - Alexis Cooper started baking young with her grandma and quickly developed a passion for it. Later, life got in the way, and baking was lost in translation.
During the height of Covid-19, through the shutdowns and quarantines, Cooper was able to pick her hobby back up and start baking in her free time, although this didn’t come without stress.
“And COVID hit so I lost my job, and we had a six-month-old at home, so I started to freak out and started to bake as like a comfort thing too. And I mean were locked in the house so there’s nothing left to do. So we sold a little bit of it on the side and made it through COVID,” Cooper said.
Cooper was able to sell cookies, and that’s where the start of Coops Creations began, unintentionally.
After the COVID-19 pandemic died down, Cooper went back to work, deciding to do cookies on the side. Although this was only a side hustle, it didn’t stay that way for long, and Cooper knew where her heart really was, in the kitchen.
While working a part-time job she was still setting up tents and pop-up shops for her treats. They were so popular, she often sold out within hours.
“We did an event one day, and it was a two day event and we sold out in the first day, and between that I made money than what I did working part so I called my dad and was like ‘quit your job,’ and I was like ‘alright,’” Cooper explained.
Once she quit her job, she hit the ground running and had everybody supporting her.
A year into baking at home, the opportunity to have her own kitchen emerged when she got a message on Facebook asking if she was looking to rent a space. This was an intimidating decision at first, but she couldn’t help but go visit the space, and she couldn’t resist the offer after seeing it.
In January of 2024, she moved in and has been operating out of there since. The building is an old high school that has been converted into a center for small businesses to set up shop, and it was the perfect setup for the owners and Cooper. Coops Creations produces an abundance of sweets, from stuffed cookies to bullseyes and brownies; the options are endless, with over 55 different flavors under her belt. She makes all the desserts herself with no team, basically a one-man army, earning the nickname “The Cookie Dealer.”
Some of the most popular flavors include Biscoff, strawberry shortcake and a farmer’s market favorite, the lemon blueberry cookie.
The demand for her cookies is an overwhelming joy for Cooper, and this is only the start. Although Coops Creations is in Dunkirk, Indiana, she does travel and hosts many different pop-ups in surrounding cities, and even is coming to Muncie.
“We are doing the indoor minnestrista market this year, and we just got into that one, so I'll be more in the Muncie area, and we’re excited when the beginning of the year starts, and we’ll get the trailer up and going.”
If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat, they’re only a drive away. When you walk in the main doors, take a right, and your nose will lead you toward the smell of warm chocolate chips.
Contact Riley Shafer with comments at riley.shafer@bsu.edu.
