Rima and Corey Friends are not from the Statesboro area, nor did either attend Georgia Southern University, but they both think the area is a great location to expand their business.
The Friends will open their second Crumbl Cookies franchise in Georgia on Aug. 17 in the Eagles Corner Shopping Center, next to Publix.
“We chose Statesboro because of its Southern Charm,” Rima Friends said in an email. “The people are friendly and the college brings a lively energy to the city.”
The Crumbl Cookies franchise was founded by two cousins in Utah in 2017 and now has more than 800 stores around the United States, including about 25 in Georgia. The closest Crumble store to Statesboro is in Richmond Hill.
Originally from Alpharetta, Rima Friends said she and Corey were “middle school sweethearts.”
She said Corey earned a business degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta and she received a bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Georgia State University.
Corey now works in corporate media sales for Comcast, while Rima said she spent 17 years as a project manager in several areas, including hospitality and interior design.
Rima Friends said, however, that she and her husband share an entrepreneurial spirit.
“After (college, Corey) opened a family car wash business,” she said. “He always had a knack for starting businesses from a neighborhood car wash in his teens to a party bus business in his 20s.
Rima Friends said they always talked about opening a business together and after moving back to Atlanta four years ago, “it made sense to pursue this dream.”
The Friends opened a Crumbl store in the Brookhaven community of Atlanta in October 2021.
“Crumbl Cookies is our first business venture together and it has been a great experience for both for us and our growing family,” Rima Friends said. “It's something our oldest daughters Casey and Nora have been able to witness come to fruition.”
With the success of their Brookhaven store, the Friends decided to open three more in Georgia – the first being in Statesboro.
“We’re so excited about bringing Crumbl to Statesboro,” Rima Friends said. “We make our cookies from scratch and bake our warm cookies fresh all day. We also have a rotating menu that keeps our customers coming back every week to try our new flavors.”
She said the store expects to employ five to nine full time workers and more than 20 part-time workers “depending on the store’s volume.”
A ribbon-cutting to officially open the store is set for 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 and Rima Friends said the public is invited. She said the store will offer “grand-opening activities all that weekend.