Cookies for the culture: New Jersey baker's cookies showcase Black hairstyles
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- They're cookies for the culture, baked goods with Bantu knots, tight curls, and tapered fades Arlene Felder designed in honor of Black History Month.
"I didn't see it as a kid, we didn't have the Crayola with the different shades of brown or anything like that, we just didn't have it, so for me, if I saw it at 5,6,7,8 even at 13 years old, it would mean so much to me," Felder said. "So since I didn't see it, I created it."
Felder is the owner of Glassy Brown Cookies. She says just like her small business based in Burlington County, New Jersey, her treats are a representation of what you get when you take a chance and put your creativity on full display.
The Black History Cookies you see above sell for $50 online and are made fresh to order. You can also pick up an "I Am Black History" tin.
"My slogan is 'I see cookies in your future,' because I love wearing glasses," Felder said. "Some people change shoes, I change glasses," said Felder.
There are plenty of kinds of other cookies to choose from, too.
"We specialize in making chocolate chip cookies, apple pie cookies, banana pudding, peach cobbler, and so many more. We also do cookie and inclusivity classes for kids with special needs and we do a variety of things," Felder said.
Felder is a South Jersey native who wasn't always in the cookie business. She retired from her nine-to-five job working in social work for the state of New Jersey to pursue her dreams full time in 2019.
"I just know that a lot of times, life gets hard, life gets stressful, you know, you have to do what works, you have to have your passion. Something within you deep that says, 'Hey, I'm tired, I can't do this anymore,'" Felder said. "So you have to have something that makes you go, and for me it was cookies," said Felder.
It was a risk — and now a purpose fulfilled — that she hopes will encourage Black business owners across the region.
"It's hard as a small business, but don't quit, you're here. Be here, be recognized and be seen," Felder said.
Felder says the cookies are a hit and she plans to continue making them after Black History Month.
For more information, visit GlassyBrownCookies.com.
