The Origin of Hello Robin

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It all started in 2013 with a text message from Molly Moon’s husband Zack to Robin Wehl Martin:

 

Zack: Hey Robin, it's zack.  I need a small favor, if you don't mind.

Robin: Sure.

Zack: There is a small space left in the new building on 19th. I need you to open a bakery there. Agreed?

Robin: Omg!  Yes!!  Does it also sell ice cream?

Zack: Molly’s into it if you are.

 

And thus a delectable partnership was born. And seven years later Hello Robin is still using Molly Moon's ice cream for their ice cream sandwiches. 

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In the years prior to this, Robin had built a reputation on Capitol Hill for delicious baked goods. She won Best Classic Whoopie Pie two years running at the Oddfellows Whoopie Pie Bake-off. (The next year they gave up and made her a judge.) She won top honors for “Overall Awesomeness” at the City Arts Pie Life competition and 1st place at the Crossroads Farmer’s Market bake off and had done baking stints at various Seattle restaurants. And that's when Robin's baked goods got on Molly's radar. 

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It was the cookies that first got Molly’s attention. Molly and Zack had given Robin and Clay (her husband) and three kids their chickens (Faye, Ida, Bambi and Levina) and as a thank you, Robin used the eggs to make delicious cookies she would occasionally leave on Molly and Zack's doorstep. Molly and Zack became addicted and realized they needed to strategize a way to gain access to those baked goods on a daily basis. Hence, the text message that started this story.

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At this same time, the demand for Robin’s cookies for school fund-raisers, bar mitzvahs and neighbors with an overly active sweet tooth had become too much for one residential kitchen and with the nudge from Molly, Robin and Clay gave in to popular demand and made the leap from home kitchen to retail storefront on the east side of Capitol Hill at the end of 2013.

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And ever since then, Hello Robin has been devoted to providing delicious and ambitious cookies every day, including the signature "Mackles'more" that combines a graham cracker, a s'more cookie and a Theo chocolate chunk. Molly Moon's to-go pints are also available in the shop and her ice cream flavors are featured in the custom ice cream sandwiches that are the biggest draw every evening during dessert rush hour. 

 

About a dozen cookies flavors are featured each day. In addition to the basic staples such as Classic Chocolate Chip, Brown Butter Snickerdoodle, Molasses and Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, there's also a selection geared toward a more mature palate, including Orange, Habanero Chocolate Chip, and other varieties your mother probably never ventured into. And, yes, there is always gluten-free and vegan options.

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Since 2013 Hello Robin has been a Seattle favorite and a go-to destination for those seeking the best in cookies and ice cream sandwiches. Hello Robin has been voted Seattle Magazine's Readers' Choice awards "Best Cookies" in Seattle multiple years and Yelp rated Hello Robin as having the best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the state of Washington. 

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Hello Robin opened a second shop in the Northwest corner of University Village in the fall of 2020!