Two years ago, a mysterious chocolate shop opened for one night at a small, non-descript location at 72 Albany St. during the annual Cazenovia Christmas Walk. Many people in the community wondered what it was, where it came from and where it went to when it disappeared the next day.
Four months ago, in mid-December 2014, Gabrielle Chocolates opened again at 72 Albany St. — but this time, the chocolate shop stayed open as a permanent addition to the downtown business district. And with the chocolate-heavy Easter holiday right around the corner, owner Gabrielle Regan hopes her handmade “chocolate creations for any occasion,” as her motto goes, will entice people to stop in.
“We never really did a grand opening. A lot of people still don’t know we’re here,” she said.
Regan, master chocolatier and wedding cake designer, has been providing chocolates and cakes for corporate events, large meetings and weddings for 20 years — the past four years from her “consulting office” at 72 Albany St., between Ellis Insurance and The Key clothing store.
“Recently, I thought it’s more rewarding to watch the public enjoy your goods,” she said. So she redesigned her office space as a retail chocolate shop with a small kitchen in the back and opened her doors.
Working with Regan is Winnie Machada as store manager and Gabrielle’s daughter Danielle as a baker and chocolatier.
“I’ve been helping her my whole life,” Danielle said. “It all started as a kid, putting my finger on the bow as she tied it.” Danielle, a Cazenovia High School graduate, also attended pastry school through BOCES in East Syracuse.
“I have the artistic side [of the business],” Danielle said; while Gabrielle added, “I’m good at production.”
Gabrielle Chocolates offers chocolate favors of every kind, glass containers full of various non-chocolate candies and small gifts. (Those jars of “chocolate body paint” on the shelf? “Those are for the college kids,” Machada said with a laugh.) But the first thing one notices upon entering Gabrielle Chocolates is the large array of truffles in the main display case — truffles made of light, medium and dark chocolate; with caramel, peanut butter, cherries and numerous other fillings.
All the chocolate creations are handmade.
“Our goal is to offer something for every occasion,” Gabrielle said. “We do all kinds of fun stuff. We try to do everything ourselves to keep the costs down for the customer.”
Another thing Gabrielle Chocolates does for its customers is have advantageous hours of operation. The store is open until 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback about the store so far, especially about being open until six. That extra hour is very, very important to me,” Gabrielle said. “I don’t want somebody stopping by on their way home from work and we’re not open.”
Similarly, Gabrielle said some of her biggest business comes in on Sundays when most of the other shops on Albany Street are closed.
“I first noticed years ago how many people were out on the streets on Sundays, but no stores were open. I knew we had to be open on Sundays,” she said.
Currently, Regan and her team have been preparing for Easter, working to fill the store with Easter-themed items and molded chocolate bunnies. They are also preparing to roll out their newest offerings of fresh-dipped, chilled fruit available in three different kinds of chocolate (made to order) and caramel apples. While all of this is ongoing, Regan continues making wedding cakes as well.
The business side of Gabrielle Chocolates is also evolving, with the website and Facebook page being improved and, once there is enough customer feedback on what has the highest demand, Regan will expand into online sales, she said.
“This is so much fun, are you kidding? It’s so fun to talk to people,” Regan said. “People have told us it’s a great atmosphere in here because we’re always happy. We just want to continue to have fun.”
For more information about Gabrielle Chocolates, visit gabriellechocolates.com, visit them on Facebook or call 655-2469.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
