Just a little over three years removed from being a popular pop-up in Lafayette, Caroline’s Cookies is planning to open a second Baton Rouge location, which would be the company’s third location overall. The addition of another location is just the latest milestone in the company’s meteoric rise. Owner Caroline Merryman told What Now New Orleans that it all started during the pandemic when she posted a batch of cookies she made to Instagram.
“I had no intention of selling cookies, but someone reached out to me and asked if I’d sell the cookies I posted,” she mused. “I said why not, I’ll give it a shot. That’s where it all began and it hasn’t stopped since then.”
Eventually, Caroline’s Cookies became a weekly pop-up and it was during those pop-ups, the then-teenage Merryman realized she could make baking her full-time occupation.
“The lines of customers got longer and longer each week. In those lines, I saw repeat customers, but also new customers,” she said. “So, I knew I was doing something right.”
Fast forward to this year and the third Caroline’s Cookies location is set to open by the end of 2024. Merryman declined to provide a specific location for the new store. However, she did say there would be plenty of seating and enough room to hold small events, like birthday parties or baby showers. She also said the new location will debut two new menu items: edible cookie dough and cookie cakes.
The announcement of a second Baton Rouge location comes as the company is renovating its original location in Lafayette at 1921 Kaliste Saloom Rd. An Instagram post describing the renovations said the renovations would create a completely new shop, and a permit filing indicated they would involve building new walls and rerouting the plumbing. The original location opened in August 2021, and it had regularly struggled to meet rabid demand for the bakery’s sweets, often running out of stock. Last year, What Now New Orleans reported on the opening of the first Baton Rouge location.
While the company continues to grow, it will continue to focus on cookies and not venture into selling other baked goods, Merryman said.
“It all started with something simple: baking good cookies,” she explained. “That’s what we’re known for, and we specialize in just that. We don’t branch out to cakes or brownies. All we do is cookies because that’s what were good at.”
“Although we sell out of cookies often, we do update our social media and website super frequently,” she added. “So, if you’re hesitant to come visit us, check our social media to make sure we have cookies. That said, we’re super excited to share our thick and gooey cookies with more customers in the community.”
