The Future of Queer Chocolatier
This month is going to be the deciding period of what the future of Queer Chocolatier will look like in the short term. Long term, I am committed to building and growing my chocolate expertise and continuing to make high-quality chocolate bars and truffles. But, as painful as it is for me to write and acknowledge, the short term of having the physical space of the Chocolate House in the Village in Muncie is increasingly unlikely to last.
My current lease is through the end of March 2021. But the next three months are the most challenging months under the best of circumstances and, as we are all acutely aware, this is not the best of circumstances. June, July, and August are my "Double Whammy" months when I am unable to affordably and responsibly ship chocolate and it is also when students are out of session, which matters when you're located on the edge of a university campus. But when I would ordinarily have consistent Spring Semester business, we were unable to and the last time I had customers in my shop was the second week of March (the first week of March was Spring Break). That time is valuable to us and all of the Village business owners. I do not lament the shelter-in-place orders whatsoever; in fact, it was also my decision to not have curbside pickup or carry-out business when we were technically allowed to do so but I didn't feel that was safe for all parties involved. My customers' safety is my utmost priority, considering many of my customers are also marginalized folx. But that time is lost to us and we have only the month of May to really make hay while the spring sun shines.
What has happened since we closed for in-store business has been a joy, as I have been able to make weekly deliveries and fulfill more online orders than we have ever had! Honestly, I was caught unprepared and have had delays on fulfilling these supportive orders, but it helped me visualize our online potential. I hope that May can continue to bring an increase of online orders to help buoy us for as long as we can. This month is the last month we will accept orders for shipping.
Here is the deal, in spirit of full transparency: I have had an email conversation with my landlord and there appears to be no way for him to assist our business and that is his prerogative. His one applicable suggestion is one I will enact: I will be posting a For Rent sign in our window to find someone to take over the rest of our lease. The best case scenario is that a qualified tenant signs with him quickly and I am able to vacate and take a summer sabbatical while searching for new kitchen space to create in (Indiana mandates food sold online must be prepared in a certified kitchen). Since I'm unable to ship in the summer as it is, perhaps this is the right time to seek out new partnerships and opportunities. Maybe there are other food establishments who would wish to share space and collaborate with me and allow for me to rent their kitchen in off hours or days they are not open for business. I would be open to this possibility. But, worst case scenario is that a new tenant is not found for my current space and I am unable to pay the overhead costs of the space and who knows what that will mean for us long term financially.
I want to express my deep gratitude to each of you for your support of Queer Chocolatier. Many of you have been following my business since we opened in 2017. I consider myself very lucky to have had the privilege of running a business and having a physical space for people to meet and engage one another in a safe, sober, and fun way. I have been given a platform to discuss issues related to chocolate, farming, economics, and sociology and I hope I've been able to effectively share what I know with you in order to spark your own curiosity about the things I have a passion for. I still believe wholeheartedly in the value of sober queer spaces and hope somehow I can make this happen again. I hope to continue doing this work of sharing curiosity and chocolate and community, but it may be on hold indefinitely as I learn what the future of Queer Chocolatier will be.
Thank you for supporting me in pursuit of this long-held dream.
