After serving the community with “hot loving from the oven” since 2006, Bowling Green’s beloved bakery, The Cookie Jar, has closed its doors.

Maureen Lanigan, owner and co-founder of The Cookie Jar, looks back with a fullness of heart on the years spent becoming a staple in BG.

Throughout her time at BGSU Maureen Lanigan fell in love with the Bowling Green area and restaurant community. At the time, Mr. Spots was one of the main major businesses, offering pizza, sandwiches, sub sandwiches and beer, but Lanigan wanted to expand the options for hot food. 

With a love of baking and a dream in mind, Lanigan introduced Bowling Green to a fresh new bakery: The Cookie Jar.

Freshly made cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and cookie cakes were offered to the community, and the locals fell in love. 

However, once COVID-19 hit, Lanigan said it became very difficult to continue baking at an affordable price. 

Lanigan was aware of how inflation was affecting quality ingredients that were used in the baked goods and did not want to increase the prices of the cookies. This being known, she decided to shut down the store. 

Meara Holden, a BG local and current BGSU student, is sad to see the bakery go after enjoying the sweet treats for years.

“I think Cookie Jar closing is surely sad news for the BG community. It is weird to think that it won’t be possible to stop in and grab a good-quality, fresh cookie anymore. Small businesses are what makes Bowling Green, Bowling Green,” Holden said.

Andrew Moosbrugger, who moved to BG in 2016, reflected on how The Cookie Jar was a “ staple of growing up in BG.”

Lanigan does not know what the future holds for her now, but Bowling Green thanks her for sixteen years of “hot loving from the oven” and wishes her  “sweetness” in her future.