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One Hot Cookie to open fourth location
By Kalea Hall
BOARDMAN
Bergen Giordani and her daughter, Morgen Reamer, are firm believers in dessert.
They believed in dessert so much they decided to build a business around it.
In 2013, what started out as a whim became a reality when the mother-daughter-duo opened their first One Hot Cookie location in downtown Youngstown.
At the end of this month, they will open their fourth location at 1315 Boardman-Canfield Road.
“It became a real business, much to our surprise,” Giordani said.
The downtown One Hot Cookie location, 112 W. Commerce St., opened in April 2013. The Austintown Library location opened in early 2014. A third location opened at 2204 Niles-Cortland Road in May.
“It was a slow start downtown, which is why we were cautious,” Giordani said.
One Hot Cookie started with seven traditional cookies, from chocolate chip to white chocolate macadamia nut. The speciality cookies, such as the s’mores and salted caramel pretzel, were added later. Now, the menu includes nine speciality cookies.
One Hot Cookie also partnered with Katie’s Korner Ice Cream of Hubbard to offer ice cream with the cookies.
Corporate gift boxes and birthday parties also were added to the business.
Once the library location opened, the business started to become somewhat of a talk around town.
“It’s been steadily growing,” Giordani said.
The downtown location from 2013 to today is like night and day, she added. The location is open until 2:30 a.m. to appeal to those out in downtown late.
“As much as we are a part of downtown’s [revival] story, downtown is a big part of our story,” Giordani said.
Before it was decided to open the Niles store, Reamer and Giordani sat down to talk about the business.
“We believed in the brand and in what we are doing, and thought we could do more,” Giordani said.
In August, they started to talk about opening their fourth location in Boardman. The space they found was pretty much ready for business after a splash of the hot pink and baby pink paints, that are a part of One Hot Cookie’s fun style, and they are nearly ready to open.
“You are eating ice cream and cookies. How can you have a bad time?” Giordani said.
One Hot Cookie started with mother and daughter in the kitchen having fun, and now the business has 28 employees.
Reamer, a sophomore at Youngstown State University in the pre-med program, was just 16 when One Hot Cookie first started.
“I started in my first job having to care,” she said. “You just go into the job with a different mindset when it’s your name.”
The advice they give to potential business owners is to be passionate about it.
“If it isn’t something you believe in, then don’t do it,” Giordani said.
When open, the Boardman location will have hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday.