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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Customers perused the cookies at the grand opening of TaRee J. Avery’s Dough House Cookies at the Canfield library on Sept. 18.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.TaRee J. Avery, owner and operator of Dough House Cookies, (center) celebrated the grand opening of her cookie shop at the Canfield library with her parents, Sass and Paul Avery, on Sept. 18.
By ABBY SLANKER
Dough House Cookies, located inside the Canfield library, hosted a grand opening on Sept. 18.
TaRee J. Avery, owner and operator, returned to her roots in Youngstown after running a successful cookie business in Nashville.
“My family is here in Youngstown. I wanted to come back and be a part of the tremendous revitalization I saw here when I returned. My family came on-board with support. My mom and dad and sister help me with my business. It’s all us. I’m the only baker,” she said.
After graduating from Geneva College with a desire to work in human services and eventually open a youth home, Avery moved to Nashville. While working in this field for several years, she also became an individual recording artist.
“I have always loved music, and living in Nashville gave me the perfect opportunity to explore my options in the music business. I went on tour and released several songs,” Avery said.
While working in the human services field, Avery became burnt out and was frustrated with the lack of resources available to her and her clients. That’s when she started ‘stress baking.’
“After several years in my field, I just became so frustrated with the system and having no resources to help me or my clients. I turned to baking to help with my stress. I have been baking since I was 8-years-old and grew up baking with my mom and grandma with my grandma’s cookie recipes. My roommates at the time told me my cookies were so good that they would buy them and I should sell them to other people. I decided to book one event, and see how it went. Well, we sold out the event and everything changed,” Avery said.
Avery said she feels she got everything she needed from her time in Nashville.
“I had always baked, but not professionally. In Nashville, there are tons of start up businesses, but I wanted to come home to make it happen. I needed my family. I do feel I got everything I needed to be successful from my time Nashville and that’s very important to me,” Avery said.
The Canfield library is happy Avery and Dough House Cookies are on board at their location.
“The library is happy to have Dough House Cookies join us in our Canfield location,” said Interim Executive Director Susan Merriman. “Dough House presents a unique take on cookies, blending traditional cookies with cookies of new and interesting flavors. We hope our library patrons will stop by and enjoy a cookie.”
Avery and the library connected through the Youngstown Business Incubator, Women in Entrepreneurship program, when the business spot in the Canfield library became vacant. Avery enrolled in the program and found help with financial information, creating a business plan and other areas she felt she needed.
Avery said the Women in Entrepreneurship program was valuable in that it provided a network and connected her with “like-minded women with whom I’ve created lasting friendships.” She noted, “There are unique challenges for women entrepreneurs” and her time with the Women in Entrepreneurship program strengthened her confidence and knowledge.
Avery explained the meaning behind the name Dough House Cookies.
“Dough is a play on cookie dough. House is my connection to home. I am a home baker and it also takes me back to baking cookies at my grandma’s house. I want to pass that feeling along with my cookies. I would also like people to know that we are not a bakery. We don’t make cakes or other things. We just focus on cookies from my grandma’s recipes and that means home to me,” Avery said.
Dough House Cookies offers traditional cookies and seasonal favorites.
“I offer traditional cookies and I provide unique flavor options. I aim to convey the feeling of ‘home.’ I will offer seasonal cookies, such as an upcoming fall selection using apple, maple and pumpkin flavors. I love to work with what I call flavor development,” Avery said.
Dough House Cookies are also available at the Austintown Farm Market, Howland Farm Market, Hubbard Farm Market and Idora Farm Market. The company also takes orders with a dozen minimum and provides local delivery of 25 miles and will ship out of state.
The Canfield library location will be open from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information, visit doughhousecookies.com.