Charlie

Dreaming in Cookies

We’ve all been there. Caught red-handed with your grubby little fingers in the cookie jar, staring like a deer in headlights at your mother. Busted.

But what if instead of “you’ll ruin your appetite,” you got, “yes you may!” Lucky for us, Ashley Swider is giving us all permission forevermore – one cookie at a time.

Ashley, the bubbly yogi who co-owns fashion and furniture boutique Cose Belle, is opening yesUmay Cookies in Mt. Pleasant in a few short weeks.

There may as well be fairy dust in these cookies they are so delicious. Magically rich, light, dense, fluffy, comforting and interesting all at the same time. With flavors like Universal Decadence (triple chocolate sea salt) and Inspiration Indie (white chocolate macadamia and curry), every morsel is special.

Of course the special sauce is really Ashley herself. A major subscriber to the power of positivity, she consciously puts joy and love into each and every cookie. That may sound a little kumbaya, but Ashley will be the first to tell you that we’re consuming not only the ingredients, but the energy that goes into those ingredients. And guess what? Joy and love are perfectly healthy for you. So take a big bite, guilt-free.

We recently hung with Ashley in her kitchen, baking up some chocolaty cloud cookies in the wee hours of the morning. She’s passionate about cookies because it’s an extension of her passion for life. She wants the world to eat pleasure-filled foods without branding themselves with a scarlet letter (F for Fat). She wants people to slow down and show a meaningful gesture to someone they care about. She wants us all to live.

The cookie store will embody Ashley’s spirit, as well as that of about 50 other locals. Literally. Ashley’s friends came together to paint positive words and messages on the bare walls, blanketing the raw space with phrases like “Life is short. Eat dessert first,” and “Only yesUmay cookies – Love, Santa.” Even when the walls are painted over with a socially-acceptable retail color, those messages will be the foundation of everything.

The grand opening of the store is October 2, with a soft launch on September 25.

Get ready for the ultimate game of Mother May I. With the sweetest ending.

yesUmay Cookies
280 West Coleman Blvd, 29464
843.628.4528
Website coming soon

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Andrew Cebulka