2022 November/December Issue
Inflation and Consumer Confidence
An adjunct professor at William & Mary and president of Financial Insyghts, which advises investors...
2023 Best of Business Awards Winners
Our Annual Best of Business (BOB) Awards! As we do each year, we asked CoVa...
Norfolk County Feed & Seed Celebrates its 75th Year
After a stint in the U.S. Air Force, Tommy Heath returned to Portsmouth in 1971...
Created in CoVa: Tarnished Truth Distilling Company & The Village Blacksmith
Tarnished Truth Distilling Company Known for their award-winning traditional craft spirits, the team at Tarnished...
Swipe Out
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Deals at DaaBIN
Lace your sneakers and pump your muscles—you’ll need the support and strength when a DaaBIN...
One Smart Cookie
Chris Knight, 17, had an idea since middle school. He moved from Richmond and noticed...
McKenzie’s Next Move
M.B. Kahn acquires Virginia Beach’s McKenzie Construction Corporation, expanding on a distinguished legacy to advance...
2023 Best Places to Work Winner’s Toolkit
Dear Best Places to Work Award Recipient, Congratulations on being selected as a 2023 Best...
Chris Knight, 17, had an idea since middle school. He moved from Richmond and noticed something about Williamsburg: It didn’t have a cookie store. A few years later, he baked up plans for Cookie Chris, located at 1408 Richmond Road.
But first he tried a recipe easier than retail: Baking cookies at home and delivering them.
“I started baking seriously during Covid,” the senior at Warhill High School says.
During the height of the pandemic, he filled orders, keeping his business model simple. Call in an order; pay by Cash App.
Then he moved from straightforward to storefront this summer.
“I was getting a lot of love and support when I was doing deliveries,” Knight says during a speaker phone call, with his mom, Fran, listening in. “I wanted to give Williamsburg a great experience, a place where they can come in and get a good cookie.”
The store satisfies customers’ eyes as much as their tastebuds. The front, with a pink and blue Cookie Chris sign in the shape of a cookie and “Hot & Ready” and “Freshly Baked” neon blue signs, is lowkey. High key hits inside, where blue walls and pink trim and more neon signs pop against white chairs and tables. Bold and bright—and social media worthy.
“I’ve learned that in the cookie business, customer service is key,” Knight says. “And not just having a great cookie, but when they come in, they also have a great experience. And that’s why we take pictures of our customers, to let them know that we really appreciate them and let them know that they’re part of the Cookie Chris family.”
A visit looks to be memorable for sure. And it’s a good thing: Chain competition—Crumbl Cookies and Insomnia Cookies—aren’t far away. Word of their openings came about the same time as the opening of Cookie Chris.
Knight’s mom declined questions about the competing stores. She focusses on her son’s cookies, describing them as crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside. The cost: $3.99 for one; $35.99 for a dozen. Flavors—including Fruity Pebble, Cotton Candy and Iced Oatmeal—rotate. Look for holiday-inspired options coming soon.
Knight, a 4.0 student who’s applying to William & Mary, Harvard, Yale and Princeton with hopes of one day being a lawyer, may or may not be spotted frequently in the store during the holiday season and into the winter. In addition to baking, his hobbies include hoops. This coming up basketball season will be his second as starting point guard for his high school—leaving people to wonder which Knight prefers most: dunking cookies or dunking basketballs.
