Chris Knight, a 19-year-old African-American entrepreneur from Richmond, Virginia, is behind Cookie Chris, a black-owned chain that sells cookies, shakes, and ice cream. He started the business making deliveries to the Williamsburg area before moving to a brick-and-mortar store.
Last month, he launched a second location of Cookie Chris while still preparing for his sophomore year as an HBCU student at Morehouse College, where he is studying philosophy and psychology on a “pre-law track”, as per Daily Press.
His journey towards making cookies dates back to 2021 when he was a junior at Warhill High School. His creations soon became popular. He capitalized on the popularity of his cookies and together with his parents, they launched the first Cookie Chris store when he was 16 years old.
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“I love it when people come here, buy my cookies, and smile,” Knight told the Daily Press. “That’s really how it all began. It is important that people enjoy my cookies.”
The 19-year-old’s first store is located in Williamsburg and since its launch, it has been baking around 1,000 cookies daily. The second store is based in Richmond because “it [Richmond] is filled with people and is kind of home,” Knight said.
“My family had lived in Glen Allen before moving to Williamsburg and my grandmother, Helen Knight, lives in Richmond. She wanted me to come there with my store.”
According to Daily Press, the new Cookie Chris location will offer a mix of popular flavors like Oreo, chocolate chip, and Snickerdoodle. What is more, it has new options such as strawberry shortcake and the “Cookie Chris” special.
Knight is dedicated to providing customers with quality offerings to derive customer satisfaction.
A student, basketball player and baker, Knight explained how he was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA while starting his business as a Warhill High School student.
“Just time management. Also, my parents help me and it takes a little bit of the load off,” he told 6 News Richmond. “Keeping up the good grades is important and always has been to my family. So the 4.0 comes from staying dedicated to the work. If I need help, staying after class, always asking questions. Never be scared to ask questions. Then with basketball, that’s hard work, just like the cookie business. You have to have time for that.”
