Hidden Gems: Meet Hilary Allen of Opal & Onyx Cookie Co.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilary Allen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey to where I am today is a little all over the place, but it was a fun ride. Staring way back, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Geology, but circumstances lead me into the Human Resources field. I worked in HR for over 6 years and earned my MBA during that time. My last job brought us to Hill Country! We were riding high and soaking up every moment of this beautiful part of Texas. But due to a global pandemic, and I found myself without a job in May 2020.

I am not one to just twiddle my thumbs and wait for something to happen, so with the encouragement of my husband, Trey, I fervently researched the Texas Cottage Law, and decided to sell cookies out of our home – and with that Opal & Onyx was born! Now, I don’t want it to sound like I randomly decided to bake cookies. I have been cooking my entire life. Honestly, food has always been my passion, I just never dreamed I would go anywhere with it! But baking is a science, and I am also passionate about science. It really was the perfect match!

So mid-pandemic of 2020, there were no markets being held or people really going anywhere, so I created an online order form and advertised it all over social media. I would drive all over San Antonio delivering cookies to people’s doorsteps! Once the open-air markets started back up mid-summer, we bought all the equipment, decor, and signage, and set out to be market vendors! Looking back at our first market, it makes me laugh. We worked over 20 hours, baking in a little (rather old) electric oven, baking 12 cookies at a time. I think at the end we ended up with around 10 dozen cookies, wrapped, labeled, and ready for market! It was a huge learning curve that day, but it was an amazing weekend I will never forget! Telling people I was the Owner of a company – was the best feeling.

Fast forward to June 2021, we are regulars at Boerne Market Days. Customers would come to the market searching for us! It was getting hard to keep up with the demand in our house. On a whim, I drove around Boerne looking at rental space for a “tiny ghost bakery kitchen”, or at least that’s what I was telling myself. In 24 hours, we settled on a 1500 sqft shell that we have now converted into a beautiful and welcoming cookie shop on the edge of Boerne!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, every step of this journey has seemed to fall perfectly into place. Yes, we had lots of struggles – super slow months, trying to make ends meet, sourcing materials, and obviously dealing with a pandemic. But that just meant we had to be creative. I am a problem solver, and I was so invested in making this company work, I wasn’t going to let anything stop me!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Opal & Onyx Cookie Co.?
Opal & Onyx Cookie Co. is not like any other bakery or cookie company. We specialize in homestyle gourmet cookies. We call them “homestyle” because they are perfectly imperfect and they remind me of my roots- being at home cooking with my grandma. We offer no gimmicks, and the cookies are not the size of your face. But with each bite, they elicit feelings of happiness and joy that keep you coming back for more!

I feel like there are two parts to Opal & Onyx; the first being the cookies. We have a saying “we won’t sell it unless we love it”. And that is 100% true. Trey and I will taste test recipes, and I may think something tastes “good” and Trey will challenge me to make it better! We use high-quality ingredients and we bake all day every day to ensure that your cookies are super fresh! We provide a weekly rotating menu of flavors that I post every Monday on social. media, we like to call it “Menu Monday”!

The second part of Opal & Onyx is empowerment. First, there is the empowerment we feel like business owners. To be able to make our own decisions and have a physical storefront that we can call all our own, it’s honestly the best feeling in the world. Second, there is the empowerment we want to provide for others. I want to empower women to chase their dreams – this is why all of our retail items are from Women-Owned businesses. I want to encourage and empower kids and adults to be involved with STEM education – this is why we have fun science books for everyone to enjoy while they hang out in the bakery.

I want to empower local non-profits by donating time and money – this is why we donate each month for different local non-profits. All we want is to bring happiness to others, and if we can do that through cookies, then we consider ourselves lucky!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
We are still new to the area, we moved to Boerne in 2019. But in the short time, we have been here we have fallen in LOVE with San Antonio and the Hill Country. With the incredible people, culture, and sights, there is something new to do or try every weekend. We have been enveloped in love and support by this community and we are so grateful!

But if I had to pick what I like best, it’s the local food scene. Every Saturday after we close up the shop, we go eat somewhere new. We will drive all over! We have driven from Boerne to the other side of San Antonio at 8 pm just to get cheesecake! We are dedicated, foodies.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.opalandonyxcookies.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/opalandonyxcookieco
• Facebook: facebook.com/opalandonyxcookieco

Image Credits
Burken Photography Co. Brooks and Co. LaVan Heirloom Portraits