Houston Concierge Association

Michael's Cookie Jar is participating in the Houston Concierge Association trade show on Monday, May 17.  It's a great opportunity to network with professional concierge from all over the city.  Hope to see you there!

We Have Color!

As the retail area continues to develop, we've added a "wing wall" on each side of the shop to provided a backdrop to the retail area, however, customers will still be able to see all the production taking place.  The colors we chose are "Rockwood Terracotta" and "Eastlake Gold."  I think the rich hues will create a feeling of warmth in the shop.  Of course, freshly baked Snickerdoodles and Brownies will also create a warm feeling!  Next week we'll have our cabinets! 

Display Cabinet Construction

The path to freshly baked, home style cookies gets shorter every day!  I visited the cabinet maker this week and progress on the display cabinets (as well as retail shelving and coffee bar) is well under way.  We're going for a "warm residential" feel to the bakery so all the cabinets look more like furniture than commercial display pieces.

The cabinets are made of maple veneers.  Once finished, this one will feature decorative pieces (cookie jars!) and packaged cookies.  We may also put some shadow boxes on this unit with wedding cookie favors.

Cabinet Maker, Clark, reviewing the plans

The main cabinets will display our daily baked cookies like Rugelach, Chocolate Chip, Palmiers, Macarons and Biscotti. The pieces of wood in this photo will be assembled to look like 4" post legs.

And that's all for now!  We have moved to the new bakery (5330 Weslayan) and have been making our wholesale and web cookie orders from the new location.  Check back for more updates!

Bakery Renovations Continue

This week Michael's Cookie Jar bakery renovations continued.  Work tables and shelves were assembled and the oven is in place.  We're waiting for some minor things to be completed and then the city inspects us!  In no time, freshly baked, hot cookies willl be coming out of the ovens!

Bo's Place Girls' Night Out

Bo’s Place is hosting the Fourth Annual Girls’ Night Out: Champagne and Cherry Blossoms on March 25, 2010 from 6-10 pm at Warehouse Live along with Guys’ Night Out: Betting on Bo’s Place in the other half of the venue.

Two Events, One Roof, One Cause! For the Girls, it will be an evening of bubbles, baubles, browsing and bites chaired by Lynn Russell, Kelly Russell McWherter and Whitney Bruegel Russell.

There are 30 wonderful merchants (including Michael's Cookie Jar) who will be displaying the hottest trends for Spring. Our goal for the girls is to raise $156,000 to go towards the ongoing, free grief support services for children and adults, pregnancy loss programs, and general operating expenses.

New Bakery Renovations Continue

We're really excited that the city approved the renovation plans for Michael's Cookie Jar at 5330 Weslayan! Construction is underway with an estimated opening this summer. We'll keep you updated via this blog and Twitter. The bakery is to the left of "Vee's Tailor and Alterations." How convenient! And the Post Office is to the left of the flag pole.

The former "Village Table" had a fir down and built-in counter that was beautiful but it was not configured to our needs.

The removal of the counter led to a dilemma because now there were tiles missing from the wall and floor. Luckily, we found extra tiles and grout above the walk-in cooler. We were still short some floor tile. Since this tile was no longer available, the contractor found one with a similar pattern and cut it to size.

It matches pretty good!

In the back area, there was a large, empty area near the pot washing sink that was perfect for the ovens.

The hood and back splash are now installed and we'll have the oven delivered soon! The next big project is to convert the walk-in cooler to a freezer.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We had a great holiday season at Michael’s Cookie Jar and hope you did too!

We have chosen to feature weddings in January for several reasons. Firstly, there's a statistic that says more engagements take place over the Christmas holiday than any other time of the year. So, naturally, these young couples start their planning in January, which leads to the second reason.

January and February are flush with bridal events in Houston. This year, Michael's Cookie Jar is participating in the Dream Weddings Bridal Show in the Woodlands. This fantastic event takes place on January 30 & 31 at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. Get your tickets on-line and save $5.00 (at the Dream Weddings link above) or get a free ticket from me if you schedule a cookie consultation before January 30! Tickets purchased at the door are $15.00.

But, I think the most important reason for featuring weddings in January is that the New Year is a time of new beginnings and renewed hope. Your engagement is a wonderful begining to a lifetime of sharing and happiness. All the best to you!

Cookie Cake photograph by Adam Nyholt photographer