Popular North Texas chocolatier is closing its doors, online ordering ends April 15

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Costs go up as sales stay flat/decline? In the last few years it's been a real rough go for small businesses like this as labor costs continue to rise, and most retail landlords in DFW love to charge obscene rents that they up massively at every opportunity. And the cost of materials has skyrocketed in the last year and change with all the tariff uncertainties, and the worldwide cocoa shortage.

All the while, individuals are feeling the pinch more and more and have been gradually cutting back non-essential spending. Seeing lots of small businesses, restaurants, bars, close up shop because people just aren't going out as much in an effort to save money.

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benignotx@reddit

Dallas as a whole is a decline in growth in population and wages. I think the next decade will be difficult for businesses here in North Texas. The constant inflow of rich transplants from the west coast is drying up. The rents some of these retail locations will have to go down to make the economics work.

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smokybbq90@reddit

Being popular doesn't always outrun the bottom line.

Cocoa prices went up like 600% last year. They are back way down, but still up like 50% from where they were two years ago.

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Mysterious-Bee8839@reddit

Maganomics claims another victim

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Upstairs_Balance_464@reddit

Yep. Tariffs hit cocoa prices hard and I guess she wasn’t willing to water down her product like the big corporate candy makers have. Y’all sick of winning yet?

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sandefurian@reddit

She doesn’t cite tariffs as one of the reasons for closure. Also, the tariffs are over.

I hate Trump, but I hate disinformation being shared because people can’t spend 10 seconds to verify something

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oh-kee-pah@reddit

It's not like flipping a switch; this tariff nonsense will be unraveling for many many months. This isn't the first and won't be the last from his idiocy.

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sandefurian@reddit

Again, she didn’t say it was tariffs. She lists several reasons. Have all the suspicions you want, but don’t be publicly obtuse.

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oh-kee-pah@reddit

You should likely take your own advice. The other comments in here have talked about how insane cocoa prices have gotten because of it, not hard to draw the line from A to B.

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sandefurian@reddit

So you’re taking random commenters knowledge as to why this specific business failed, instead of the business owner herself? I just can’t help you dude lol

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oh-kee-pah@reddit

'Seasonal changes and labor intensive products' is about as vague as it gets, so you don't have anything conclusive either smart guy.

And I don't blame her for being vague, she's trying to get her staff jobs after the close; admirable of her.

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sandefurian@reddit

Neither one of those even hint at a supply increase dude

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redbattleaxe@reddit

"Seasonal changes" kind of does. It at least leaves room to interpret it that way.

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Potential-Ant7834@reddit

You contradicted yourself by stating that the owner didn’t say that it was supply side costs. But the owner also did not say that it was NOT supply side costs. Do you understand how profit works? Low cost + High Sales = $$$. High costs + Low Sales = Loss. Two brain cells can run together to make the conclusion based on what she wrote about finances. What does inflation mean to you? What does increased labor mean? F&B industry has been repeating this since the pandemic. You don’t read the news. The cost of chocolate has gone up so much that the cheap candy bars you eat aren’t even made of chocolate anymore.

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baggedBoneParcel@reddit

What strange thing to get so worked up about on the internet, all while still being both wrong on multiple counts.

Strange, strange, little gremlin.

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1CryptographerFree@reddit

r/confidentlyincorrect material.

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oh-kee-pah@reddit

Bro blocked me lol Can't even have a discussion on here Saw his downvotes and couldn't stomach he was wrong, so ridiculous

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cp5i6x@reddit

if she was using raw cocoa beans then those were always exempted from tariffs, if she was using cocoa derivatives like cocoa butter then that is subject to trump's blanket 10% global tariffs still. After supreme court, trump just did a blanket 10% tariff on everyone.

That said her shops were in very high rent locations and i'm sure she's really making money only on days like valentines and nov/dec during the holiday gifting.

I love her chocolates but throughout the year I was the only one walking in their clearfork location.

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bigpapajayjay@reddit

The tariffs are not over. Please stop spreading bullshit misinformation.

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badlyagingmillenial@reddit

She directly cites financial hardships as the reason they are closing. Those hardships are due to the increased cost of product from Trump's tariffs and his actions in the middle east.

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PrefersEarlGrey@reddit

The only one misinformed here is you. Tariffs using the IEEPA were struck down then Trump immediately reinstated them using another trade act.

It's 10 seconds of googling, PBS even has an article that explains it in a way even you could understand.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/federal-court-hears-new-case-against-trumps-latest-global-tariffs

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Upstairs_Balance_464@reddit

Uh… might want to look into that “the tariffs are over” assertion before proclaiming how much you hate disinformation.

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yarmulke@reddit

Inb4 someone claims you have TDS

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_NotUrCutie_@reddit

I worked for Kate. I’ll say this, she’s an amazing creative. but on the business side she just didn’t know what to do, and didn’t find anyone who truly did. She chose not to value the people working for her, which had been causing issues these past months that were extremely apparent to not just her. She had many chances to change how she maneuvered in many different aspects that likely would have helped, and she CHOSE to stick her head in the sand. Also didn’t help that she literally was unable to produce writing or thoughts without ChatGPT, at least in front of her workers. I found moldy chocolate from premade boxes more than once and she’d tell us to put it in the case(we never did). The list just goes on. All in all, I wish I felt bad for her, but It really was all on her.

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PM_ME_UR_RESPECT@reddit

That’s two spots at Trinity groves just in the last two days…..

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makeupandmorphine@reddit

That whole area is a damn mess, all businesses should run from that area

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2ManyCooksInTheKitch@reddit (OP)

It's Kate Weiser, which is my go-to for coworker Christmas gifts. Sad day.

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SuperfluousWording@reddit

As soon as I saw the headlines, I thought, great, what am I going to corporately gift throughout the rest of my time in Dallas?

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BucketofWarmSpit@reddit

There's still Chocolate Secrets.

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FearlessConfection46@reddit

I used to love chocolate secrets but they played in my face the last time I was there and overcharged me for an item that I knew for a fact was a specific price.

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BusterSmash@reddit

Yeli Belly is an excellent local chocolatier for corporate gifts

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Large-Garden4833@reddit

Let’s all Please keep chocolate secrets open! Although I don’t think that they pay their employees enough

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Sierradarocker@reddit

Cocoandre is another great chocolate shop! They do a lot of great truffles and bars. They also can do custom chocolates if you need some branded stuff. I love them!

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Thebigfatpanda@reddit

Yellibelly Chocolates is my go to. Fingers crossed they’re doing okay.

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endless_shrimp@reddit

you get an edible arrangement! you get an edible arrangement!

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Cheeze_My_Puffs@reddit

Ugh , AA is okay, the coated strawbs are the best they can keep the rest

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Wanglopse@reddit

Nooooooooo

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SmitzchtheKitty@reddit

CocoAndré in Oak Cliff, Dude Sweet Chocolate by the Design District. Both good options as well.

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imcaptainstupid@reddit

https://dudesweetchocolate.com/. Is better

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JPree@reddit

I thought they closed!!! This is good news for me

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BucketofWarmSpit@reddit

They moved across the intersection.

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DingusCat@reddit

MY GOATTTT!! I found out u can do pick up with them too with the Shop app 😩

Nobody else in Dallas is like em, they are literally the best.

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JZfromBigD@reddit

I really think she expanded too much. So so sad bc her work is fab.

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KM964@reddit

Well looks like I’m going to the Clearfork location soon.

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apple713@reddit

This is no surprise. Her chocolates were overpriced and just mediocre. You can find better. Check out chocolate secrets in uptown.

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ShimeUnter@reddit

The owner of Chocolate Secrets is really nice but it's just not as good as Kate Weiser

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Big_Current419@reddit

Yeah secrets is pretty overrated imo

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smokybbq90@reddit

That place looks good, but not sure you can tell me $12 for this isn't overpriced

https://www.mychocolatesecrets.com/product-page/two-chocolate-lone-star-bars

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apple713@reddit

Oh they are definitely overpriced too, but if im going to pay for overpriced chocolates, thats the place i go to in dallas. They are open till like midnight too. Its a convenience not a quality preference. If i wanted really good chocolates, there are better places in the united states to order from.

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ChefMikeDFW@reddit

There are very few chocolatiers who know how to make good treats like this and I know of none that charge less. There is a lot that goes into making these things and is very labor intensive when done by hand. These were worth the price knowing the effort made.

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perpetual__ghost@reddit

So many small businesses are struggling. It seems like every time I check social media, another local business is announcing a closure. As a small business owner myself, I’ve been at it for almost 15 years and it’s never been quite this bad. The economy ebbs and flows, and there are lots of costs that aren’t fixed year over year, but the past year or two have just been one beating after another.

At the rate we’re going, in another 5 years (or less), there won’t be any options for handmade/local/artisan products and we’ll all just have to buy the same Amazon/Temu slop.

If you know someone who owns a small business, please support them. Even if you can’t afford to support them financially by buying something from them, share a social media post, or recommend them to a friend.

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LittleTXBigAZ@reddit

Almost as if this has been the goal of the oligarchs this whole time 😱

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wanderlust_cocogirl@reddit

Before clicking, I thought is was Chocolate Secrets but it's not.😓

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Roadrunnr61@reddit

So sad, it's a loss for Dallas.

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ShimeUnter@reddit

Good chocolate but got really expensive

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xoxokaralee@reddit

The riot that will be had if people cant get their Carls this Christmas

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BamaPhils@reddit

She said Carls will still be sold but this will be the last Christmas she does so as of right now

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xoxokaralee@reddit

I saw the post after I commented. Still.

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Leader_Bud@reddit

She doesn’t say much, but Trinity Groves really didn’t help her. They messed that whole project up for a long time. Then they talked her into what was probably a very costly expansion. They also kept her hidden on the backside of the building. She should’ve moved at some point. North Park rent couldn’t have been friendly either. Damn.

Well…Dude Sweet Chocolate and CoCoAndre are both here!

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CybReader@reddit

This stinks

I loved ordering these chocolates for family for Christmas.

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