The end has come for one of Vancouver's trailblazing treat shops, as Chocolate Arts has revealed April 25 will be their final day in business.
The Kitsilano chocolate-maker announced last fall they would be closing up shop after 27 years, though, as owner Greg Hook noted recently, the current COVID-19 crisis was not in the picture. The plan was to wrap things up over the following weeks, giving customers and staff plenty of opportunities to pop in and say goodbye.
"When we announced our closing in November, I certainly did not expect our final couple of months to be like this," writes Hook in Chocolate Arts' new farewell message.
Chocolate Arts, like many of their contemporaries across the city and province, shifted to take-out and online ordering operations in mid-March. The shop has been open for limited hours on select days for the last couple of weeks.
Back in the early 1990s, when Hook started his business, chocolatiers in Vancouver weren't necessarily using terms like "local" and "sustainable."
Now, of course, those terms are standard, and Chocolate Arts helped paved the way for many making and selling chocolate confections in the city today.
Chocolate Arts is known firstly for their chocolates that make use of regional ingredients and draw inspiration from global flavours. This essential Vancouver chocolate shop uses all natural flavours and makes all their essences and concentrates in-house. Seasonal chocolate creations are playful and sculptural.
For their final days, Chocolate Arts will be open Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24 from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chocolate Arts is located at 1620 West 3rd Ave in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood
