Village Cookie Shoppe

For residents of Southern California, a great local bakery is a cherished community asset. But what if that bakery not only delivered on fresh, delicious goods but also served a profound, life-changing mission? Welcome to The Village Cookie Shoppe in Long Beach, a truly extraordinary local institution that is earning recognition not just for its award-winning cookies and brownies, but for its vital role as a social enterprise. Located in the heart of Long Beach, this is one California business where every single purchase contributes directly to building stronger, healthier lives in the community.

In a state that values community and innovation, The Village Cookie Shoppe provides a compelling model for social impact business. It is a place where the simple act of buying a box of chocolate chip cookies becomes a meaningful contribution to local mental health support and vocational training. Californians looking for a local business to support that aligns with their values and delivers a top-quality product will find The Village Cookie Shoppe to be a perfect fit. They successfully merge the artisanal quality of a scratch bakery with the powerful purpose of a social services program, creating a win-win scenario for customers and employees alike. This focus on "baking with a purpose" sets them apart from the typical Long Beach bakery scene.

The Village Cookie Shoppe is more than just a place to satisfy your sweet tooth; it is a vital part of the Employment Services Program run by Mental Health America of Los Angeles (MHALA). As a registered social enterprise, the shop’s primary mission is to serve as a stepping stone to independence for MHALA members who are working to successfully integrate into the community workforce. Every employee is an MHALA member who prepares the "award-winning" cookies and brownies from scratch, using only high-quality, fresh ingredients with no preservatives.

The model is straightforward and effective: the business operates as a fully functional, high-quality bakery, but its revenue and operations directly fund MHALA’s services and vocational training programs. Employees gain essential, real-world experience, earning a salary and benefits while developing crucial skills needed for future employment. The positive impact is tangible; reports indicate that after gaining experience at the shop, a significant majority of employees successfully transition into part- or full-time employment within the wider community. This powerful synergy between a delicious product and a life-changing purpose makes The Village Cookie Shoppe an indispensable part of the Long Beach social and business landscape. For local California businesses and consumers, choosing this shoppe for catering or gifts is an easy way to commit to corporate social responsibility or responsible consumerism.

The Village Cookie Shoppe is centrally located in a busy and accessible area of Long Beach, California. Its physical address is 1955 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90806, USA. Long Beach Boulevard is a major north-south corridor that is easily reachable for a wide array of customers, from nearby residents to businesses utilizing their catering and gift box services.

This location in the 90806 ZIP code places it in a community-rich environment, ideal for a mission-driven business. While direct walk-in hours may be specialized, the location is optimized for its main services, which include local pickup, delivery, and a robust shipping operation that reaches across the United States.

Accessibility highlights for local users:

• Central Long Beach Boulevard Location: Provides easy directional access from surrounding neighborhoods like Signal Hill, Downtown Long Beach, and Bixby Knolls.
• Customer Pickup Options: Local customers can select the pickup option when ordering, which is essential for pre-ordered items like their freshly baked breads and large gift boxes.
• Public Transportation Access: Located on a major street, the shop is generally accessible via Long Beach Transit bus routes, connecting it to the larger city network.

The services offered by The Village Cookie Shoppe center around baking excellence, gift packaging, and community delivery. They operate on a model that prioritizes freshness, often baking to order, which means products are typically at their absolute freshest when received.

The primary products and services include:

• Signature Cookies: A selection of classic, individually hand-scooped cookies, including their widely popular Chocolate Chip (available with or without walnuts), Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, and Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Dark Chocolate Brownies: Rich, dark chocolate brownies filled with walnuts and topped with extra chocolate chips.
• Artisanal Quick Breads: Freshly baked breads, which must be ordered several days in advance, such as Moist Zucchini Bread and Banana Bread, both studded with walnuts and gently spiced. These items are generally for pick-up only.
• Gifting and Variety Boxes: Specializing in gift packaging, they offer Variety Cookie Gift Boxes and Variety Cookie and Brownie Gift Boxes, which come complete with a complimentary note card for custom messaging, making them ideal for corporate or personal gifting across California.
• Catering Services: Providing baked goods and catering to local businesses and events, further engaging with the community and expanding their employee training experience.
• Packaging and Shipping: A professional service that packages and ships orders nationwide (excluding Hawaii), a critical component of their business model, with baking and shipping primarily occurring on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to ensure peak freshness.
• Vocational Job Training: The shop's core service is offering real-world, paid work experience for MHALA members, with training in customer service, baking, packaging, shipping, budgeting, and product development.

The Village Cookie Shoppe possesses unique features that elevate it beyond a standard local bakery, particularly its social mission and commitment to product quality. These highlights resonate strongly with the socially conscious California consumer.

Key features and highlights include:

• Award-Winning Social Enterprise: The shop has been recognized for its social impact, including being named the LA Business Journal Social Enterprise of the Year, underscoring its success in combining business with community service.
• MHALA Ownership and Operation: Being owned and operated by Mental Health America of Los Angeles means every dollar spent directly supports mental health services and vocational opportunities, turning a treat purchase into a charitable action.
• Commitment to Freshness and Quality: The cookies are prepared from scratch and baked to order using fresh ingredients and no preservatives, providing a noticeable difference in taste and texture often described as "biscuit-style consistency."
• High Success Rate in Employment: Over 80% of employees who complete their training at the shoppe transition into permanent employment in the community, demonstrating the tangible, life-changing results of their training program.
• Ideal for Corporate and Personal Gifting: Their focus on custom gift boxes, shipping, and catering makes them a perfect local vendor for California businesses seeking thoughtful, high-quality, and socially responsible gifts for clients and employees.

For California residents or businesses interested in placing orders, learning more about their mission, or arranging local pick-up or delivery, here is the essential contact information for The Village Cookie Shoppe:

• Address: 1955 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90806, USA
• Primary Phone: (888) 490-6688 (Toll-Free)
• Mobile Phone: +1 888-490-6688

It is recommended to check their official website for current policies on order lead times, especially for the specialty breads which require a 3-day advance order, and for details on their Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday baking and shipping schedule.

For the socially conscious, quality-seeking California consumer, The Village Cookie Shoppe is worth choosing for three primary reasons: impact, quality, and convenience.

First and foremost, you are not just buying a cookie; you are investing in a human life. The employment and life skills training provided to MHALA members is a direct, measurable benefit that makes this bakery a truly unique purchase decision. This social mission is the soul of The Village Cookie Shoppe and the greatest reason to choose them over a chain or competitor.

Second, the Variety Cookie and Brownie Gift Box is a must-try. As one of their most popular items, this box allows you to sample their full range—from the signature Chocolate Chip to the rich Dark Chocolate Brownies—and is perfectly packaged for local gift-giving or sending across the country. It’s the easiest way to experience the high quality that has earned them local accolades.

Finally, for those planning ahead, we highly recommend placing an advance order for one of their specialty quick breads, such as the Moist Zucchini Bread or Banana Bread. These baked goods showcase the bakery's full range of talent beyond cookies and offer a comforting, homemade taste that is hard to find elsewhere. By choosing The Village Cookie Shoppe, Long Beach locals are selecting a bakery that excels in its craft while actively transforming lives, one delicious, purpose-filled batch at a time.

Village Cookie Shoppe

1955 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90806, USA