Melissa and Todd Fox are no strangers to overseeing a family business. The married couple has owned and managed a family farm operation in Clinton County for 27 years.
Earlier this year, the lifelong Clinton County residents branched into a new type of family-owned business when they opened a Mary’s Mountain Cookies franchise in Carmel. Nestled at 110 W. Main St., Suite 125, the bakery offers an array of fresh-made products ranging from cookies to ice cream sandwiches to edible cookie dough.
“(We are) most proud of the fact that everything is made fresh in our bakery every day and that we are a part of a business that is family oriented,” said Melissa, who opened the store with her husband in May.
Founded 25 years ago in Colorado by Mary Johns, former head cook at Cherokee Park Dude Ranch in northern Colorado, Mary’s Mountain Cookies has 16 stores across the U.S., mostly in the West and Southwest. The Carmel location is the only franchise in Indiana and the only one east of the Mississippi River.
“The bakery is a small, family-owned franchise out of Colorado,” Melissa said. “We have made connections with other (Mary’s Mountain Cookies) bakery owners who are willing to offer advice on how products are selling and being received by the public.”
Besides cookies, Mary’s Mountain Cookies offers party trays and assorted seasonal items. The store also sells specialty items, such as Avalanches (cookies with buttercream icing) and gluten-free cookies.
So far, the Todds are pleased with their new business and have been embraced by the Carmel community.
“The people of Carmel have been extremely friendly and welcoming since we opened our doors,” Melissa said.
Mary’s Mountain Cookies’ flagship store is in Fort Collins, Colo.
For more, visit marysmountaincookies.com.
