BEMIDJI 鈥� Try it before you buy it. That was Janel Hart鈥檚 thinking when downtown Bemidji鈥檚 chocolate shop was for sale in 1997.
After a brief career in retail fashion, Hart spent two weeks working for free at Chocolates Plus. Then she bought the store, which this week is celebrating 40 years in business.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hart remembers asking herself, 鈥淚s this something I want to do?鈥� The answer was yes, especially after she noticed that the store wasn鈥檛 only selling chocolates. It was selling smiles.
鈥淚t was fun, and people were happy,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were buying candy 鈥� what鈥檚 not to be happy about? So after those two weeks, I decided this would work.鈥�
Jean Ryan founded Chocolates Plus, which opened its doors at 414 Beltrami Ave. NW on Nov. 6, 1984. She later moved it to the current Mayflower Building, which at the time was called Union Square. That鈥檚 where it was located when Ryan retired and Hart purchased the business. The building also housed Snow Goose Gifts, Giovanni鈥檚 Pizza and Stats Sports Bar (later called Knockouts Sports Cafe).
With help from her mother, Carol Bronson, and a background in retail, Hart set sail on her new venture.
鈥淭here were some merchandising aspects to it, which is in my background,鈥� said Hart, who earned a degree in fashion merchandising from the University of North Dakota. 鈥淪o the candy-making part was obviously a whole new skill set to learn. When we purchased it Jean (Ryan) agreed to give me so many hours of tutelage. There鈥檚 a science to chocolate making.鈥�
The science didn鈥檛 always work in those early days.
鈥淪o my family got to eat a lot of mistakes for the first couple of years,鈥� she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
As businesses were leaving Union Square, Hart decided to move her store to the lower level of the Elks Lodge building at 108 Fourth St. NW. In 2007, when Lundrigan鈥檚 Clothing went up for sale, Chocolates Plus found its current location at 315 Beltrami Ave. NW. The larger space allowed for additional inventory.
鈥淲hen we moved to this location we expanded the whole gift part of the store,鈥� Hart said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not into chocolate, hopefully, we have something else you would like.鈥�
But chocolate is still the mainstay after 40 years.
鈥淚 think the fact that we make so much of our product right here in the store kind of sets us apart,鈥� Hart said. 鈥淚 remember the first Christmas that we had the store, my 25-year-old self, and it was so busy. I hadn鈥檛 anticipated that. And I had thought about outsourcing the truffles, just buying them pre-made from someplace.鈥�
But one of the store鈥檚 long-time employees nixed the idea.
鈥淭he store is known for its truffles,鈥� Hart said. 鈥淚 am so grateful that she told me that and I listened. The truffles are one of the items we are very well known for. We make 90% of the chocolate that鈥檚 in our store.鈥�
Hart鈥檚 husband, Christian, lends a hand with everything from helping customers to sweeping the floor. The store has five part-time employees, including Lori Comstock, who has worked there for 26 years.
The Trust Project
