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Of the diverse varieties of cookies produced by the Albemarle Sweet Shop, one stands out as the favorite among the bakery’s many loyal customers.

Is it the clown cookie, the confectionery’s signature brand?
Nope.

How about the all-season, any-time favorite, the sugar cookie?
Negative.

Peanut butter, macadamia nut, or pecan shortbread?
No, no, and no.

According to Sweet Shop owner Shawn Oke, the top-selling cookie among those frequenting the Second Street business is an ages-old classic.

“We do bake a mean chocolate chip cookie,” Oke said.

Even so, there’s no shortage of demand for the shop’s other baked goods. The downtown Albemarle establishment’s pies, cakes, streusels, muffins, turnovers, breads and Danish treats all are in constant demand, but cookies tend to fly off the shelves rapidly.

“Our cookies are our best sellers,” Oke said. “They sell better and faster than our other items.”

Demand for other baked goods varies by season, he added.

“Around Christmas, we bake and sell anywhere from 10 to 12 thousand sugar cookies, and there is always demand for pies and cakes,” said Oke.

Cookies are made the same way as when the bakery opened on King Avenue in 1922.

“Andrew (Oke’s son, and like his dad, an Albemarle firefighter) works in here when he’s not on duty. We make them the old-fashioned way, hand-cutting them.”

The clown cookies, for which the shop is best-known, date back at least 60 years, according to Oke.

“We have traced them back to the 1960s, when the Whitley family owned the bakery,” he said, adding that, “they may date back further than that.”

When asked if the shop is planning to offer any new cookie varieties, Oke noted that two types are in what he calls “the test phase.”

“We are testing a snickerdoodle cookie right now, and we recently produced a ‘cowboy cookie’ for an event at Atrium Health,” he said. “We got positive feedback on those.”

Feedback is key in determining new items to try, Oke said, relating a story that led him to develop a new creation.

“We (Oke and wife Laura) were at Badin Brews, and in conversation with a server, the subject of ‘favorite type of cookie’ came up,” he said. “The server suggested we offer a ‘peanut butter-chocolate chip’ cookie, so I came back and started developing a recipe for it.”

With the Sweet Shop offering so many varieties, Oke noted “it takes time” to determine whether new offerings will make the cut.

“We have to be patient,” he said. “Sometimes (new items) take time to catch on.”

Since moving into the shop’s new South Second Street location in September 2023, Oke has expanded the shop’s offerings, including milk from Rowan-based Lutheridge Jersey Farm, and has added tables and chairs so customers can enjoy fresh baked treats on-site.

“There’s nothing better than a warm chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk,” he said.

Albemarle Sweet Shop
310 South Second Street
Albemarle NC
704-982-1235
www.albemarlesweetshop.com

Hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
​​Saturday : 8:30 am – 2:00 pm