New 124 Street chocolate shop sees ‘impressive’ community response as another says a sweet goodbye

Carol's Quality Sweets is closing down while a chocolate shop nearby is celebrating one year in business after pivoting strategies. Nahreman Issa has more.

While one long-standing sweet shop is saying goodbye to 124 Street, another is celebrating its first milestone.

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After 22 years on High Street, Carol’s Quality Sweets closed for good on New Year’s Eve.

The shop withstood a fire that wiped out the former Whyte Avenue location, and found success and a strong community after relocating to the 124 Street area.

“Our chocolates were so special,” said owner and chocolatier Carol Logan.

“My husband, Grant, he made the best peanut brittle in the city. Made the best chocolate marshmallows, the best of everything … We were such a partnership, because one couldn’t do it without the other.”

However, Logan said the last few years have proved too much for her and her husband.

“Things started to go south, as you would say,” she said.

COVID-19 closures, constant construction in the area, break-ins and a dwindling public presence downtown put the couple in debt, leading to the decision to retire.

“We’re just broke. We can’t do it anymore,” Logan said. “It’s so many factors that came into play, things we could not control. And then with the economy … people don’t have money for groceries, let alone candy.”

Logan said she and her husband of 51 years are confident the area will eventually rebound – just not soon enough.

“If you can persevere and keep going, I think that’s wonderful, because it will come back,” she said. “But we don’t have the years left to wait for that to happen.”

Several blocks away, a new sweet spot is marking just over a year in business.

Delavoye, a bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker, opened on 124 Street and 107 Avenue in December 2023.

In addition to selling chocolate drinks, bars and pastries, it offers chocolate tastings, fondue nights and a variety of chocolate pairing events (including cheese and beer).

Heather Thomson, with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, said offering something beyond a product is a great way for businesses to stand out in a time when even big box stores are struggling to compete.

“What we’re seeing is retailers and business models that are based on distribution, they’re not successful anymore,” Thomson said. “Because in a lot of ways, consumers can just be their own distributors.”

“When we see a business that, albeit is a little bit more niche … if they are able to provide an experience that consumers are excited about, they’re largely going to be successful, because this is something that is not replicable at home,” she added.

Lavoie said Delavoy delivers experience from the moment you enter the door, with a glass wall revealing chocolate bars being made in real time.

“I could go anywhere and buy a chocolate bar (for) $5 and fill my need,” he said. “We’re giving them more … And we try to do that as soon as you come in.

“We provide you with samples, because we know the chocolate bars are not $5, so we want you to be satisfied.”

Despite having lots to offer, the chocolate maker said the first year has been far from easy as the price of cocoa beans doubled.

“It’s even more difficult than I anticipated, but I’m really happy because Edmontonians are really supportive,” Lavoie said. “A lot of businesses approached us to (collaborate) with us … it’s been quite, quite impressive to see that people, basically, kind of your competitors, are coming to partner with you.”

Carol said it’s that community she will miss most of all, having met and served sweets to generations of neighbours and friends.

“People grow up, come and get their wedding candies and their wedding chocolates, and then someone passes away, they come and get chocolates for the funeral. We’ve seen all ends of it,” Carol said. “I’m going to miss that so much.”

A GoFundMe has been set up for Carol and Grant to help them recoup some losses, and a farewell and retirement fundraiser will be held at the Glenora Community Hall on Feb. 26.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa and Darcy Seaton