Baking up community: Meet the resident behind our favorite bookish treats

The sweet smell of success is wafting through Reed’s Crossing, and it's all thanks to one talented resident. What started as a passion for books and baking has blossomed into a beloved home-based cookie business, bringing a little extra joy to the neighborhood (plus a lot of butter, sugar, and flour).  After meeting at the Hillsboro Farmers’ Market in Reed’s Crossing Park, we knew we had to chat with Sierra, owner of Novel Cookies, to learn more about her journey.

In this interview, Sierra shares the inspiration behind her business, how she chose the right home to build it, the joy she finds in creating, and how her passion has brought her closer to her neighbors, from the community book club to baking treats for local birthday parties. Her story is a testament to the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that thrives within our community, proving that the most important ventures are baked with a lot of heart.

First, tell us a little about yourself and your household.

My name is Sierra. I work full time as an Event Specialist at a small software company and I have my own small business making cookies that are book-themed. I started my cookie business, Novel Cookies, in 2023 when I was laid off from my previous corporate job and decided to turn my hobby of replicating book covers onto cookies into a business. The turning point for Novel Cookies was when I moved into my custom home in Reed’s Crossing, which has a commercial kitchen space in it. I have four cats (who don’t go into the bakery, they live in the main house!) named Apoloo, Kelvin, Shepard, and Luna. They are all rescue cats, and I spend time volunteering with the Cat Adoption Team and at the Oregon Zoo. 

What made you choose to buy a home in Reed’s Crossing? 

Doesn’t everyone grow up dreaming of having a bakery and living upstairs?? My dream with Novel Cookies was always to have my own space. The cookies I decorate are very detailed and intricate, often taking numerous hours over multiple days to complete, and that’s really difficult to do in a shared commercial kitchen. I also received a lot of interest from authors and bookstores around the country looking to purchase cookies for events, and I needed a commercial kitchen space to make those orders happen. During the pandemic, my sister and I would drive over to Reed’s Crossing and walk through the houses looking at all the different floor plans. Flash forward to the end of 2022, and I was looking at floor plans again and saw one that was a townhouse with an attached ADU. I loved the idea of being able to live upstairs and have my kitchen downstairs. On a whim I sent an email to the builder contact on the website and now, almost three years later, here I am in my home with my kitchen!

Which builder did you go with, and why?

My builder was David Weekley; they had the specific floor plan that I was looking for that would let me have a commercial kitchen space downstairs and a living space that was perfect for me upstairs. The David Weekley team was amazing and helped me through the whole process. They made so many accommodations and adjustments to the floor plan for me so that the kitchen space would be approved and licensed. I’m so grateful to the team for helping me make my dream come true!

Tell us about your business—it’s such a unique combo of books and baking! How did you come up with the idea and get started?

All credit goes to my friends. Back in 2022 I was helping my best friend with cookie orders that she was getting from co-workers and neighbors. I loved helping her decorate the cookies and she taught me the basics of decorating with royal icing. At the same time I was really getting into reading and my other friend suggested I make a “booksta” (a book-focused Instagram account). I liked the idea, but I’m terrible at writing reviews and coming up with content to post. One day when I was decorating, I got the idea to make book-themed cookies and use photos of those cookies as content for my booksta. From there I fell in love with decorating the cookies and challenged myself with more detailed covers and cookie designs. I love making these little works of edible art and sharing them with authors, bookstores, and my online community. 

What makes this community a great place to run a business?

First, they let me have a business in my home so I love this community for that! But in all seriousness, it’s an amazing place to live and I feel like it really fuels my creativity. One of my favorite things to do is run or walk through the community and listen to an audio book. I love the walking paths that we have here and the beautiful scenery in the community. Something that’s really important for your business is the space you are in, and I feel really fortunate to have my space be in this community. 

How do you engage with the local community?

For the past two years I have been a vendor at the Hillsboro Farmers’ Market in Reed’s Crossing Park. One of my favorite things is getting to meet people and talk about books (and cookies!). Since my business is primarily run through social media and an online community, I love that the markets let me meet people face to face. 

I’ve made cupcakes for a first birthday party held at Tamarack Park. I’ve made custom book cookies for a community member to send to her son and daughter-in-law as a gift. Connections and moments like that are really cool and something that I think is really special about having my business in this community. I’ve also heard from people that seeing my cookies inspired them to start baking or pick up a new hobby—I love that! I know I have a very niche business but I think it shows people that you really can combine things that you love (and maybe discover a hidden talent along the way), and create a lot of joy for you and others from that passion. 

What are your hopes for the future of your business?

To keep baking and decorating! I am really grateful that Novel Cookies has been so successful and that I moved into my dream bakery space so early. A lot of businesses take years and years before they can transition into their own space. I would love to get back to hosting more events. I've held book-themed tea parties at local parks like Rood Bridge and Hidden Creek. I also teach cookie decorating classes and I would love to do more of those locally in the Hillsboro area. If someone wants to start a bookstore in the Hillsboro area, I would love to collaborate with them!! 

Looking for a new home in Oregon to inspire you? Take a virtual tour, come by for a visit, or sneak a peek at what’s in store for the future.