NILES, Ohio – One Hot Cookie will close its remaining store at Eastwood Mall and cease operations Oct. 31, the company said in a Facebook post Friday.
After closing its Hermitage store last winter, One Hot Cookie opened in Eastwood Mall in May. It closed its Boardman store in August.
“Due to ongoing financial difficulties, we have reached a point where continuing operations is no longer financially possible. This was not an easy decision, and it is one we have spent a great deal of time considering,” owner Heather Huff said in the Facebook post.
In a phone interview Friday afternoon, Huff said the business had been operating at a “complete loss” since December.
“I believe that the novelty of One Hot Cookie was fading,” and the lack of business on top of all of the expenses made keeping the business open “financially not reasonable.” She has to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection personally as well as for the business because she personally guaranteed a loan with Valley Economic Development Partners.
“Although this is not the ending we had hoped for, we will always be grateful for the opportunity we had to serve you and for everyone who became part of the One Hot Cookie story,” Huff said in the post.
Started in downtown Youngstown by Bergen Giordani and her daughter, Morgen Chretien, in 2013, the entrepreneurs sold the business to Huff, an employee, in late 2025.
Giordani is part owner of Gorant Chocolatier, which she and Dr. Nino Rubino purchased in 2023. She also operates Sweet Marketing and Management, which provides marketing services for Gorant and other small businesses and nonprofit agencies.
Pictured at top: The One Hot Cookie store inside Eastwood Mall. (OneHotCookie.com)