Kansas City’s own candyman, Christopher Elbow is consolidating his chocolate making operation.
By next summer, Elbow is hoping to move his chocolate empire into a building located at 2725 Holly Street, in heart of Kansas City’s artisanal food and beverage “makers” community. His new neighbors will be The Roasterie and Boulevard Brewing Co.
“Right now, we produce all of our chocolates in the back of our store on McGee, and we also need more room for our shipping operation and our corporate offices,” says Elbow. “It was time to bring everything together under one roof.”
Elbow confirmed they closed on the building that will serve as their new world headquarters last week. The 15,000 sq-foot building was built in 1955 and in a former life functioned as a tire company. He also says it needs a lot of work. “The new building will be completely gutted and repurposed to house our new corporate offices, production and post-production facilities, warehousing, and order fulfillment, and we will also have a test kitchen laboratory for product development and interactive events.”
Many remember when Elbow first started making his artistic and flavorful chocolates under the name Christopher Elbow Chocolates in 2003. He was operating in a small space above a restaurant on Southwest Boulevard. Since then, he has quietly moved his corporate office a couple of times, always leaving his company name off the front door, as he found well-intentioned locals and tourists alike were constantly stopping by hoping for a tour, or wanting to buy chocolates, neither of which he could offer them at his corporate office.
“It's going to be a big project remodeling our new building, and although it will not be open to the public, we are going to make sure it looks cool and will be a nice addition to the neighborhood.”
Today the scope of his day-to-day operations here in Kansas City has changed considerably from where he started 14 years ago. He believes his new building, that will double the size of his current production space, will allow everyone on his chocolate team the chance to work side by side for the first time.
One thing that will definitely be making the move from Elbow’s current office to his new building is his top-secret, by-invitation-only, can’t-say-where, cocktail lounge that he had built into his executive office to entertain clients and friends. Hidden inside of a book on a bookshelf in his office is a biometric lock that recognizes Elbow’s thumbprint. When he presses it, a section of his bookshelf is released and swings open to reveal a private speakeasy bar and lounge. He has named it “Doe Bar,” as it has a masculine hunting lodge feel with handsome brass deer heads on the wall.
This chocolatier is more than happy to play bartender when clients belly up to his private bar, as making cocktails one of the other things that Elbow excels at creating.
Christopher Elbow Chocolates World Headquarters, 2725 Holly Street, Kansas City, Missouri, elbowchocolates.com
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