For more than 97 years, Byrd’s Cookie Company has been a fixture of Savannah, Georgia, dating all the way back to the 1920s when Byrd’s founder Benjamin Byrd Sr. began delivering his Scotch oatmeal cookies in his Model T Ford.

Now the popular cookie company is setting up shop in Greenville.

Set to open in early April in the former Pink Azalea spot at 17 S. Main St. (right between Tropical Grille and Wells Fargo) in downtown Greenville, Byrd’s will bring a concept that is likely unfamiliar to most Greenville cookie lovers: the cookie bar.

“What’s special about us is the cookie bar we have in every store, where we have anywhere from 16 to 20 different jars of cookies,” said Geoff Repella, president of Byrd’s Cookie Company.

Unlike typical cookies, all Byrd’s cookies are bite-size, which means if anyone wants to belly up to the bar and try all 20 cookies available, they are free to do so — at no cost to them.

“As many free samples as you want,” Repella said. “The point is, we know once you’ve tried our cookies you’ll love them. Even if it’s not today that you’re buying some, we know you’ll have such a good time at the cookie bar that you’ll come back.”

And because they are bite-size cookies, Repella likes to say they have zero calories and zero fat and are “nothing but wholesome goodness,” a claim that he admits is unlikely to hold scrutiny from any actual nutritionist. 

“Yeah, probably not,” he said, laughing.

Byrd’s cookies come in flavors that range from sweet to salty, but by far their most popular cookie (“The cookie that keeps our lights on,” as Repella puts it) is the key lime cooler, which is designed to encapsulate the perfect slice of key lime pie into cookie form.

Gluten-free options are also available.

The Greenville location marks the 13th Byrd’s location, with the majority operating in Georgia. Repella said Greenville had long been on a “very short list” of markets to which Buyrd’s was looking to expand.

“People want just a nice cookie experience, especially with how we’ve all been eating our feelings during COVID,” Repella said. “With the cookie bar, we want to offer that experience to everyone.”

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