No matter what, people will always want more chocolate. Thankfully, local chocolate makers Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier (3983 Gratiot Street; 314-534-2401) has purchased a massive building (220,000-square-foot) at 1600 North Broadway (as first reported by the Business Journal) with plans for $11 million in renovations, which means a lot more space to make a lot more chocolate.
When finished, the brick building, built in 1910 (history) with 24-foot cathedral ceilings that was once the home of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (MKT) Railroad Depot, will even offer tours...so basically St. Louis will have it's own version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory -- fair warning chubby kids, stay out of the river of chocolate.
See also: - Bissinger's Hosts "Spirited Chocolate" Vodka and Chocolate Pairing - Battle Molasses Puffs: Merbs Candies vs. Bissinger's
The new space will allow the company to relocate workers from its Iowa City-based Bochner Chocolate and consolidate all of it's sweet-making efforts in St. Louis. The location, right at the foot of the new Stan Musial Bridge, will be the company's headquarters and could serve as an anchor for the rebuilding movement in north St. Louis.
Plus, a planned retail space on site (in addition to the three shop locations--two in St. Louis) means you can walk right up and buy as much chocolate as you can carry. But don't get too greedy, the Oompa-Loompas are watching.
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