The Cookie Box Bakery sits in the small, sleepy, rural setting of Summerton.
The front is donned with a candy-striped awning and welcome signs that beckon passersby to go in and sample items on its menu. Owner Leslie Coker-LeMense has always had a passion for baking. As a child she and her mother baked together often, so there was no question what she wanted to do as a career after graduating.
While still in high school, she wanted to go through the whole process of becoming a chef, which started with attending food service classes at the F.E. Debose Career Center. As a young adult, she left Summerton for college, but the tuition was soon overwhelming and finishing school was a dwindling dream.
Coker-LeMense made the choice to return to Summerton to be near her aging parents.
She returned to her childhood home on Christmas morning 2014 with her husband and children.
Not having much luck with searching for a job in the surrounding areas, Coker-LeMense's mother felt that God wanted them to open their own bakery in Summerton.
After consulting family and friends, LeMense began taking steps to find a building to open the store. The dream soon became a reality, and the bakery opened its doors Oct. 17, 2016, in Summerton
“My mom’s specialties are the pies and mine are the cakes,” said Coker-LeMense. “She comes and helps me often; she said it keeps her young. The location seemed a little too expensive for us at first when we found it, but we worked it out. Business ventures are somewhat scarce in Summerton, so a family-oriented bakery store will shed some light.”
The family thought of a saying that went well with the shop and it says, “Running off coffee and Jesus.”
It explains some of the hardships they have faced being business owners in what was once a thriving rural town.
"Etc." in the store's name means that more things are to be added to make it an even more fun place to visit, Coker-LeMense said. The family is thinking of adding homemade honey from North Carolina, as well as other exciting additions.
“Last November, we hosted the Red Hat Society ladies of Summerton, who held their luncheon at our bakery, and we have also had a few baby showers,” she said. “We added “Etc.” to the title because we have so much more ideas to add to the store and to the menu. We haven’t finished yet.”
Coker-LeMense remembers Summerton as a child, when she and friends rode their bikes to the Summerton Drugs to buy scoops of ice cream or bags of candy. She feels it's a safe place to live and raise a family, but she would like them to experience all the amenities she had as a child.
"Main Street was thriving when I was a child; There were grocery stores, a five-and-dime, and it was always busy with people doing things out with their families," she said. "Every building was occupied. It just had that great hometown feeling, but now we don't even have a grocery store. We have to all go to Manning or to Walmart in Manning."
Coker-LeMense wants to see more businesses in Summerton, so they can bring the town back to life. She said it's sad to see her hometown fading away. She feels that Summerton wants to grow, but it's not happening fast enough.
"Not many people know that we are here," she said. "I think Summerton has been empty for so long, that I think people just don't look anymore. People have said that they have ridden by, seen the name on the window, and they literally don't know what we were."
Coker-LeMense said she wants "people to know that we are here."
"We enjoyed having lots of customers at the first inaugural Duck Fest in October," she said. "(Summerton Mayor) Mac Bagnal did a great thing when he brought the Duck Fest to Summerton, and we are looking forward to the next one.
