Makeda’s Cookies busier than ever 1 year after the murder of Young Dolph

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - There was a time when the owners of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies seriously considered not reopening their doors at their Airways location after the tragic death of Young Dolph.

However, two months ago, the owners had a change of heart.

It’s been 23 years since the owners of Makeda’s Homemade Cookies opened their flagship location, but after the anniversary of last year’s tragedy, they said their store is as popular as ever.

Six days a week before the sun comes up, Maurice and Pamela Hill are at their cookie shop preparing their butter cookies for the day.

“Well, my grandmother gave us a recipe, but we played around with it until we made it ours,” said Maurice Hill. The Hills say these days, business has been booming.

“It’s just been overwhelming, you know... they’ve been coming, and they’ve been coming, and they’ve been coming,” said Pamela, who says in addition to their regular customers, tourists are now showing up in great numbers.

On Wednesday, there was a family from Knoxville who traveled to Memphis just to try their cookies.

There was also a customer traveling through Tennessee from Boston who says she was encouraged to stop by the cookie shop by her older brother, who is a big Young Dolph fan.

“I wanted to make a trip here. Come see Young Dolph’s favorite spot, try these cookies,” said Amanda Gualterrama.

Suddenly, the cookie store that’s been in the Castalia neighborhood for more than two decades, was now known all over the world after an unspeakable tragedy.

On Nov. 17, 2021, two men were seen on surveillance targeting the 36-year-old rapper, who frequented the cookie store to order his favorite chocolate chip cookies.

“Yes ma’am, he was on the phone over here on the corner, and he was never on the phone when he came here,” said Maurice. “He was never on the phone. He was never in one of his fancy cars. He was just in and out because he’s been coming for 10 years,” said Hill.

After the tragedy, fans turned the local cookie store into a memorial.

For those who loved the rapper, there was a push to never reopen the store, but instead keep it as a memorial.

However, the owners say the call was louder for Makeda’s to come back.

The Hills added a small memorial inside the store to remember the slain rapper in the very spot he was killed.

The memorial includes a picture shipped to them from a fan in Buffalo, New York.

There is also a framed still from a video when Young Dolph came to get his favorite cookie

“He was a customer. I call him little Dolph sometimes, and he would just say, ‘Hey ma,’” said Pamela.

The Hills believe Dolph would have wanted them to come back, and since he’s the reason for their renewed success, he’ll forever be a part of the Makeda’s Cookies story.

We asked the Hills what’s next for Makeda’s Cookies, and they said, “Franchise, Franchise, Franchise.”

The Hills say that was always the plan, even before Dolph’s murder.

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