After a chocolate break, owner refocused
Lifelong chocolate connoisseur Mary Leonard, founder of artisan chocolatier Chocolat Céleste in St. Paul, rarely tires of talking or thinking about chocolate.
Yet after nine years without a vacation, she was ready to take a break from running the company.
So last summer she closed her retail boutique, shut down online sales and halted production of her classic truffles and bonbons, single-origin art chocolates and other specialties from May through September.
She spent time with friends, got reacquainted with her dogs — and seldom stopped thinking about chocolate or her business. Specifically, Leonard wrote a new business plan that takes Chocolat Céleste back to its roots focusing on corporate and online sales while taking a more measured approach to its retail effort.
The biggest change so far is the company’s new headquarters on Transfer Road, across from the Amtrak station in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. The retail shop now is open six days a week only during peak seasons like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Otherwise it operates only Wednesday through Saturday.
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