Alison Tae, Contributing Photographer

A new challenger to Insomnia Cookies’s monopoly on Yalies’ cookie runs has arisen over the summer at The Shops at Yale — Cookie39.

The door is wide open; the windows display a cheerful, modern interior. A colorful chalkboard sign outside advertises “Fresh Cookies!,” and the warm, wafting scent of baking cookie dough beckons curious bypassers inside. Opened this past June, Cookie39 is an independently-owned store located on 39 Broadway. It serves six unique cookies with a seasonal rotation. 

“Everything here is made from scratch daily, and it’s been awesome. The kids seem to like it so far,” Mark Powell, the co-owner of Cookie39, said. “Anybody that loves dessert and cookies is welcome.”

Cookie39’s emphasis on homestyle cookies is evident through its story. Powell’s family has baked through generations, and all the recipes for the cookies are family recipes. 

It was just this year that Powell decided to create a business out of family tradition. Even the interior design of the store can be traced back to Powell’s mother, who passed away in 2021 and loved to bake — a mural of angel wings on the wall is a nod to her memory.

Additionally, Cookie39’s roots in the Yale and New Haven communities run deep. Powell’s grandfather, Carmen Cozza, was Yale’s head football coach for 32 years. The family envisioned continuing to strengthen this tie to the Yale student body through the business.

“Summer in New Haven without 12,000 kids is going to be a little different. But now that the kids are back, it’s been great,” Powell said.

Although Cookie39 had a slower start this summer, since the academic year has started in the fall and college students have returned to New Haven campuses, business has picked up.

Cookie39, which is sandwiched between Paper Source and Urban Outfitters, occupies a vacant retail storefront.

“We walked past here earlier today, and it just smelled really good,” Jenny Jiang ’26 said. She was trying the cookies for the first time and noted that Cookie39 had a promotion for Yale students.

Situated right near Ezra Stiles and Morse colleges, the store draws in Yale students walking to class, heading back to their dorms, or looking for a snack. Its location in The Shops at Yale also attracts New Haven residents while they’re shopping around.

Nevaeh Tonge ’28 considers herself a regular customer of Cookie39. Because of her nut allergy, she is cautious of baked cookies. However, her experience with Cookie39 has been entirely positive.

“Every time I walk past them, I always smell the cookies, which is what initially draws me in,” Tonge said. “The cookies taste absolutely amazing. They have the perfect mix of a little hard on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.” 

Except for their Peanut Butter Cup cookie, five of the six cookie flavors available at Cookie39 are nut-free.

Overall, Powell is grateful that Cookie39 gets to serve the community. 

“It’s been fun to be a part of Yale, for sure — we want to take care of the Yale community and all involved,” Powell said.

Cookie39’s cookie flavor of the month is Oatmeal Caramel Apple.