CLEVELAND, Ohio – For anyone who’s ever found their mind drifting to sweets, you can now thank Jim Travarca and his aunt, Britta Noonan, for the delicious new answer to your mid-day cravings. Their Little Shop of Cookies opens in Suite #15 of the 5th Street Arcades, 530 Euclid Ave. with a celebration from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 18.
“We love the vibe here, and that it’s filled with so many unique little microbusinesses,” says Shella Travarca, Jim’s wife and partner of the business, about the downtown shopping center.
The small walk-up shop will carry seven varieties of cookie, such as English toffee, salted caramel and peanut butter and jelly. The twist: They all have a peanut butter base.
They’ll also sell a selection of pre-packaged chocolates, salted caramel and chocolate-covered potato chips, as well as caramel- and toffee-themed trays. To begin, their regular hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
It started when Jim attempted to recreate the cookie recipe of his aunt. Once he finally perfected it and began sharing the treats with friends, the response was always enthusiastic.
“Everyone kept telling him, ‘If you need another career, you can definitely make it selling cookies,'” says Shella. “When you hear that feedback enough, you think maybe there’s something here.”
They enrolled in to Culinary Launch and Kitchen’s incubator program, where they learned the ropes of owning a small-food business. They’ll continue using the downtown commercial kitchen to bake the cookies that are sold at the arcade shop. Britta Noonan’s husband, Raymond, also joined on as a partner.
While they’re betting on the base being a hit, don’t expect too strong of a peanut butter taste.
“It’s not overwhelming,” says Shella. “They’re really moist, and we always hear that it’s the texture that makes them so special. You have to experience it.”
Shella says selling wholesale down the line isn’t out of the question, but they currently enjoying baking without any preservatives. It’s a treat meant to be enjoyed soon after its popped out of the oven. They have, however, been providing trays for events like corporate meetings and baby showers.
“We think this is our calling,” says Shella. “We’re going to unite cookie lovers everywhere with the best peanut butter cookies they’ve ever had.”
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