Biz Buzz: New cookie shop opening in Ammon soon
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Do you want to know what’s happening on the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BRIEF
AMMON
Crumbl Cookies to offer fresh baked cookies to customers in eastern Idaho
AMMON – The boom of the delivery-service industry in the last few years has led to a slew of cookie baking startups. Crumbl Cookies has proven it has staying power, and it’s opening in Ammon next month.
The business will be at 2656 East Sunnyside Road inside the Sandcreek Commons Shopping Center next to Bill’s Bike and Run.
It offers a rotating menu of 40 different flavors. CEO and co-founder Jason McGowan tells EastIdahoNews.com they churn out fresh baked cookies every 20 minutes, all day long.
“Every week we have four new specialty cookies. Then on top of that, we have chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Those are our staples every week,” McGowan says. “We pride ourselves on having fresh, quality ingredients and allowing customers to see the process. You can see people cracking eggs right in front of you.”
Cookies can be purchased in-store or delivered to your home.
McGowan launched the business in Logan, Utah, with his cousin, Sawyer Hemsley, in 2017. McGowan says they perfected their cookie-making formula before the business was even formed.
“We would take two cookies and change one (ingredient). One with milk chocolate chips and one with semi-sweet. We went to local gas stations and grocery stores and had random people (taste them). We kept doing that until we had one consistent winner, and that’s how our chocolate chip cookie was born,” McGowan says.
Neither McGowan nor Hemsley had any baking experience prior to opening the business, but they learned through trial and error one cookie at a time.
“When we made our first cookie, we just looked at each other. I thought to myself, ‘I just spent all this money for this.’ There were some serious panic attacks,” he says.
Since its inception, the business has grown to include 21 locations throughout Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. McGowan credits their success to focusing on the customer.
“We never really cared about the competition, or what others were doing. For us, it’s about finding the cookie that makes people want to keep coming back every week,” he says.
Hemsley, who grew up in Preston, wanted to open a store in Ammon to be closer to family.
“He has family living close by who will be running the store,” says McGowan.
The Ammon location will be their second store in Idaho. A Meridian location opened up in December.
McGowan says they’re planning to have a soft open Thursday, April 11. A grand opening will be held the next day, where they’ll be offering free cookies.
“We are really excited about Ammon. We’ve spent a lot of time looking around this area, and we’re excited to be part of all the growth and serve customers,” McGowan says.
Crumbl Cookies will be open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight. Learn more by visiting its website.
BIZ BITS
Local nonprofit urging you to make a donation during Idaho Gives in May
POCATELLO – Idaho Gives, the state’s biggest day of online giving, is nearly a month away is happening May 2, and Christina Potts, the executive director of the Pocatello Free Clinic, is asking you to donate to a charity you care about.
The Pocatello Free Clinic works to provide “quality health care to the medically under-served of Southeast Idaho,” according to its website.
As a nonprofit, it is one of the eligible organizations to accept donations in May and will be participating in the annual event. It will be moving next to the Pocatello Crisis Center in April.
Local bike shop opening Idaho Falls location
IDAHO FALLS – If you love to bike and you live in Victor or Jackson, chances are you’ve heard of Fitzgerald’s Bicycles. After years of serving customers in those communities, the business is opening an Idaho Falls location.
Fitzgerald’s Bicycles will open inside the old Farr’s Jewelry store at 2026 East 17th Street. It is slated to open March 29. We have reached out to the owner for more information and hope to post an in-depth story soon.
East Idaho Credit Union opening a Rexburg branch
REXBURG – East Idaho Credit Union will construct a new branch in Rexburg this spring. Construction on the new branch, located at 310 North 2nd East, will begin in April. The 1.2 acre parcel, just north of Pizza Pie Café, will make the credit union accessible to more people as membership continues to expand. The new branch will replace the current office on the south end of town.
BIZ BUGS
PHONE SCAMS
How to stop those pesky robocalls
The following is taken from a news release from the Better Business Bureau.
IDAHO FALLS – Scam calls seem to plague everyone’s phone these days. Nearly half the calls made to U.S. cell phones in 2019 will be spam, according to a study by First Orion referenced in a Federal Communications Commission report.
Lately here in eastern Idaho we have seen calls trying to get people’s Social Security numbers, impersonating local detectives, and asking for payments with gift cards.
A scam involving gift cards happened just two weeks ago in Idaho Falls. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
A telemarketer must have your written consent, whether through paper or electronic means, to receive a call or message. Simply buying a product, or contacting a business with a question, does not give them legal permission to call you.
Here are some things you can do to quiet those rings:
- Do Not Call Registry. You can reduce the number of unwanted sales calls you get by signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry. It’s free. Most legitimate companies don’t call if your number is on the Registry. If a company is ignoring the Registry, there’s a good chance that it’s a scam
- Cell phone apps or features. There are apps that will help you block calls as well as pop up warnings letting you know it may be a fraudulent call. Some may come at a cost or some are free, these vary for each cell phone provider. Also, you can use your Do Not Disturb feature to block all calls except those from selected contacts, for some people this could be a huge help.
- Just don’t answer and block. The best thing to remember is, when you answer and engage with a caller this can open you up to more calls. So, the best thing to do is just not to answer if you don’t recognize the number and block that number in your phone.
Ultimately, you may not be able to stop all these calls, but following these steps will help. Consumers can also report robocalls on our website. The Better Business Bureau shares Scam Tracker information with government and law enforcement agencies, so every piece of information is helpful in tracking down scammers.
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If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett.nelson@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.