The not so good news is that Blue Table Chocolates has left the Five Points neighborhood. The fantastic news is that it is expanding and heading to Larkinville. I spoke to owner Ben Johnson who told me that when the lease was up in their smallish Five Points location, he had a big decision to make. Although he had fitted out the space, at his own expense, he had also outgrown the space. He needed more storage, and he needed more room for retail.
When Ben began looking at his options, he considered purchasing a building, but didn’t want to deal with other tenants, and it was a lot of money, especially with a kitchen buildout. So that strategy was out. He didn’t want to take over an existing restaurant kitchen space or an abandoned bakery, for lots of reasons. He also didn’t want to pony up to build out another space, unless he owned it.
As he was weighing his options, the Zemsky family (Larkin Development) reached out to tell him that they were building out six additional spaces at Millrace Commons. It turned out to be the ideal situation – one that would afford him the production kitchen that he needed, the storage, as well as a more substantial retail operation. With the busy holiday season swiftly approaching, he signed on the dotted line.
“We needed a radical move, and Larkinville was the answer,” Ben told me. “We thought that the Five Points location was going to be longterm, but as we grew, it just wasn’t big enough. For better or worse, we walked away from the capital improvements that we invested in the space. When the Zemskys told me that they were building out the spaces anyways, and that they could build our space to spec, I knew that we needed to move to Larkinville.”
Blue Table Chocolates is transitioning from a 560 SF footprint to a 980 SF footprint. While that might not seem like a lot, it’s exactly what Ben needed, to keep up with the growing demand for boozy chocolates, candy bars, panned items, dark chocolate sourdough pretzel bites, truffles, flavored malt balls, peanut butter & jelly puffs, butter toffee peanuts, vegan chocolates, tablets, and Halloween chocolate skulls. He also likes the fact that he is neighboring a bunch of businesses that all help to create healthy foot traffic in the neighborhood – Magic Bear Beer Cellar, The Plating Society, Buffalo Distillery, Flying Bison, Hydraulic Hearth, etc. Ben is hoping to partner with some of these outfits, for tasting and pairing collaborations.
Ben is excited about the idea of Larkinville in general. Similar to Five Points, there is a growing community of businesses, as well as residential opportunities. He feels that there is an opportunity to expand upon his retail hours, into the evening, which is something that never quite worked for him in the Five Points neighborhood.
The new Millrace Commons location will be beautiful when it is complete. It will also be very functional, with an aspect of theater.
“There will be a window in the showroom, where people will be able to see the chocolate being made,” Ben told me. “In a perfect world, we would like to host classes and/or demonstrations. We would like to have people making their own chocolates, along with a discourse on the history of chocolate.”
Ben is sad to be leaving Five Points. He’s also sad to be leaving the West Side, which is where it all started for him. At the same time, he’s thrilled to be embarking upon this latest chocolatey chapter in Larkinville – a neighborhood that he believes is his next big step in growth.
Currently, Ben is waiting for construction to wrap up, and City approvals. Pending everything goes smoothly, he anticipates on being open in a couple of weeks, just in time for the holiday season.
To learn more about Blue Table Chocolates, click here.
Blue Table Chocolates
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | WEB
Millrace Commons – 799 Seneca Street, Suite D1
Buffalo, NY
(716) 866-3725
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