Charleston residents will soon have a new place go to to satisfy their late-night sweet tooth. Construction is underway on a new Insomnia Cookies on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Fourth Street.
The store will be located next to Jimmy John’s in the former Trueblood Collective Boutique.
Insomnia Cookies is known for its made-to-order cookies in addition to other desserts such as several ice cream products and cookie cakes. The menu also features several gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options for customers to choose from, according to insomniacookies.com.
Customers can buy cookies individually or in packs ranging from six cookies to catering orders of 100. The company was founded in Philadelphia in 2003 by University of Pennsylvania students Jared Barnett and Seth Berkowitz. The company operates approximately 240 stores across the country.
Their stores are strategically located near university campuses and operate until the very early hours of the morning. Each location also offers their own delivery service for customers until 2:45 a.m.
Currently, the nearest locations are in Champaign and Terre Haute, Indiana. Other communities with universities such as Normal and Carbondale also have Insomnia stores.
Hiring is underway for the new store as several job listings for both full-time and part-time positions are posted on the corporate website and various job board websites. The Charleston location is anticipated to be the only new location opening in Illinois in 2024.
Jesus De La Cruz, a senior and a marketing major, is looking forward to the new location.
“I think it’s a good addition for Charleston to have,” De La Cruz said. “There’s one in Champaign at the U of I [University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign], and I tried it, and it was really good.”
Eric Wescher, a senior majoring in psychology and human services, expressed his optimism for recent new businesses locating in Charleston.
“I’m glad that these bigger corporations are kind of seeing Charleston as an opportunity to give their business because it’s just giving us more places to visit, more places to eat. Very exciting,” Wescher said.
While the opening of the store was announced in early Dec. 2023, an exact opening date has not been confirmed. Multiple requests for comment made to both the property owner and construction company were not returned. Despite this, excitement around the opening is growing both on and off campus.
Robbie Rollins, a family and consumer sciences education major, expanded on Wescher’s comments, citing the need for more businesses to be open later at night.
“I’d say there’s not many places that are open late at night for students to go and grab something quick to eat,” Rollins said.
Even students who have not previously heard of Insomnia Cookies appeared to express positive attributes regarding the new business.
Caleb Kowalewski, a history education major who is unfamiliar with the dessert shop, still expressed positive sentiments regarding its opening.
“I think it’s a good kind of after-hours munchie thing for college students,” Kowalewski said. “I think it definitely caters to college students. So, I think it’s a good opportunity.”
Eadie Budd, an elementary education major, has never been to Insomnia Cookies but looks forward to trying it once it opens.
While everyone is awaiting the opening, one common theme among students is that they are likely to wait a few days before actually going to the restaurant.
“Definitely a few days after for sure because it’s something new and it’s sweets and who doesn’t like sweets,” Rollins said.
Jacob Hamm can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmhamm@eiu.edu.
