After the pandemic, Chelsea Tumbado began selling cookies as a pop-up vendor at various events around Hampton Roads.
“I needed something that would bring me joy and help me connect with others,” she said.
She started out selling decorated sugar almond cookies but evolved to more flavors, including ube cheesecake, s’mores, chocolate chip Nutella, panda coconut and fun plays on childhood favorites like brown sugar Pop Tarts cookies. Ube, or purple yam, is commonly found in Filipino desserts.
Tumbado described her cookies as thick and always having a little something extra.
“They’re not your average cookies,” she said. “There’s always something inside of them or on top.”
After only eight months in business, she took over an artisan market called Saturday Society, which was held across from Mount Trashmore. Tumbado said Tumbeezy Cookies grew alongside many other small businesses at the market.
When Saturday Society ended, Tumbado created Tumbeezy & Friends and curated and hosted themed events at multiple breweries in Hampton Roads. The most popular ones were Harry Potter, Taylor Swift and a Filipino American market. Her cookies would change weekly, and the flavors would match the themed market. The Harry Potter market would feature a butterbeer and golden snitch cookie, and a Taylor Swift event would include a Mama Kelce signature chocolate chip cookie, an iced Taylor chai and a decorated red lip cookie.
Now, Tumbeezy is opening its first retail store in the Kroger-anchored Providence Square Shopping Center in Virginia Beach. The grand opening is slated for Sunday.
“For us, getting this storefront isn’t just about growing Tumbeezy Cookies but continuing to grow with our friends,” she said. “Our shop will have space for many of our friends’ creations, some of which are exclusive to Tumbeezy and the shop.”
Along with Tumbeezy cookies, customers will find candles, crocheted animals, art prints, jewelry, brew from Pinup Coffee and bread from Top Knot bakery.
The shop’s decor includes a cozy space outfitted with a pink corduroy sofa, pink curtains and a mural showcasing the Tumbeezy pink bow surrounded by symbols representing all the small businesses they’ve connected with over the years. The rotating cookie menu will feature flavors such as pumpkin chocolate chip, ube Oreo, cosmic brownie, cookie monster, Biscoff cookie butter and pumpkin pie cheesecake.
“We hope to bring a little bit more sweetness to the area,” Tumbado said. “Our motto is shop small and party local. We plan on doing exactly that here at our new storefront.”
Get updates on hours and weekly cookie flavors on Tumbeezy Cookies’ Facebook page.
Lee Belote, [email protected]
