Insomnia Cookies at 833 Wharton Street in South Philadelphia, which opened up its secret CookieLab earlier this year, is scheduled to undergo a renovation. Building permits show that the location is slated for additions and alterations of its 3,291 sq. ft. space with an estimated price tag of $105,149. The work includes an extension of the existing space, the erection of partition walls, accessibility improvements, as well as finishings and furnishings.
The location currently houses the store’s cookie and ice cream counter, a pick-up window, and their cookie “speakeasy,” the Insomnia CookieLab. You’ll find the CookieLab’s secret entrance through the bookshelf inside the cookie shop, which leads to a curved hallway and eventually to a neon-colored room where you can order cookies that you customize. You can also grab a seat at the bar if you’re looking for something stronger like a cookie milkshake.
Customized cookies from the CookieLab are also available through The Alley cookie pick-up window, which along with the CookieLab, are open until 3 a.m. The CookieLab, which according to Patch, was the first of its kind, is a part of Insomnia’s research and “doughvelopment” arm.
“Philadelphia has always been such an important part of our brand’s DNA,” Insomnia Cookies Founder Seth Berkowitz told Patch. “As we continue to seek strategic growth opportunities and new ways to connect with consumers during these challenging times, we are proud of our unique ability to give Insomniacs a new way to interact and immerse themselves in our unique cookie culture right where the cookie magic all began.”
Berkowitz birthed Insomnia Cookies after having a late-night hankering for milk and cookies while in college. He started the company in 2003 while still a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
