Downtown Clarkston shoppers may have noticed changes on Main Street, with The Chocolate Moose now gone and Essence on Main opening soon.
Main Street is experiencing what Mayor Sharron Catallo calls ‘transition.?
‘It isn’t a new thing for us to have a business go out and a new one coming in,? said Catallo. ‘It’s always a horrible thing to lose a business.?
Declining sales made it impossible to pay rent and utilities, said Chocolate Moose owner Christie Kojima.
‘I couldn’t do it anymore,? Kojima said. ‘I’m really sad to be gone.?
But she’ll still make chocolate, she said.
‘I can make it in smaller batches and special orders as needed, without the huge overhead,? she said.
She stayed open an extra two weeks to avoid disappointing Clarkston second graders during their annual tour on downtown, she said.
‘I didn’t have the heart,? said Kojima. ‘I enjoyed having them.?
She will take orders on the web, www.Moosechocolate.com, and encourages customers to sign up on her email list so she can let them know where they can find her chocolate.
‘I’ll send out an email blast,? she said.
Down the road, Essence on Main, 4 South Main St., is getting ready for their grand opening.
‘We’ll have it later in June,? said Dave Donnay, who owns the business with his wife, Joan Donnay.
They will offer organic food, packaged, gluten-free products, locally produced items, whole grain breads, and other healthy choices, Joan said.
Catallo said she doesn’t expect The Chocolate Moose building, 23 S. Main St., to remain empty for long.
‘It’s been great having them there and they will certainly be missed, by all of us chocolate lovers,? she said. ‘We appreciate that they’ve been there and they’ve done a great job.?
‘I’m very sad to see the Chocolate Moose go,? said Penny Shanks, executive director for Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce. ‘I loved their chocolate.?
Chamber membership is strong, Shanks said.
‘It’s an economical way to do network marketing, and establish yourselves quickly at the grass roots because it’s really cheap, through your chamber membership, to do that,? she said.
Chamber members are active, participating and organizing networking activities such as Business of Breakfast, Women in Business and Luncheon Mixers.
‘We are in a time where you have to be tenacious, you have to think outside the box, you have to really try and maximize as much as possible,? said Shanks. ‘It’s really hard to say, some people are selling a business or closing a business because they’re ready to do a life change. They want to do something different.?
Phil Custodio contributed to this report.