A Quick Order Fulfillment Update
This morning, we’re working on preparing orders to drop off at the post office later this afternoon. We’re hoping to send out more than 75 orders today! Now that we’re past Mother’s Day, we don’t have another in-person event until Saturday, May 30th. So we’ll be able to go into full gear on getting all of these orders out. Thank you again for your support, understanding, and patience!
BookCon Recap
On Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th, we were in New York City attending BookCon at the Javits Center. What an incredibly crowded and overwhelming event! We handed out all the chocolate samples we brought with us, handed out many menus and business cards, and talked with so many wonderful and enthusiastic bibliophiles.
I’m so sorry to disappoint so many of you with not being allowed to sell our physical bars at BookCon because of the Javits Center’s caterers. I hope BookCon attendees will consider placing an order on our online store (openbookchocolates.com/shop) and/or visit some of the amazing indie bookstores that carry our chocolate bars across the U.S. (including The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn).
Open Book Chocolates Review by The Food Sorceress
Here at Open Book Chocolates, we were thrilled to discover a very lovely review of our chocolate bars by The Food Sorceress, who we met at BookCon. You can read this review by clicking on “Read more” below.
Malice Domestic Recap
On Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th, we were vendors at Malice Domestic (which has been around for almost 4 decades) at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland. This was our second time at Malice, and we truly enjoy chatting with all the friendly and enthusiastic cozy murder mystery readers.
This is the same Marriott where I used to participate in SPX (Small Press Expo), selling my graphic novels (like The Plague and Doctor Caim), illustrated zines, and art prints. Whenever I do a show at this conference center, I always joke that I should wear my high school prom dress (beautifully made by my grandmother, Frances; if it still fits me) because it’s the same place where I attended my high school prom. In fact, there was an actual prom that happened Saturday night of Malice Domestic in the same building just above us. Funny coincidence!
We always have a great time at Malice, and can’t wait to do it again next year!
Annapolis Book Festival Recap
On Saturday, May 2nd, we were vendors at the Annapolis Book Festival at the Key School in Annapolis, Maryland. It was our first time at this event, and had a wonderful day interacting with all the attendees, including precocious students of all ages.
We lucked out as far as the weather goes! Usually, outdoor events in May tend to be too warm for our chocolate bars, and we have to put them in coolers with ice packs to protect them from melting. It was a little bit chilly (in the 50s and 60s), which is perfect for the chocolate bars. Plus it didn’t rain at all, which was a relief.
My Big Finds Pop-Up Recap
On Saturday, May 9th (the day before Mother’s Day), we were once again at My Big Finds in Kentlands (Gaithersburg, Maryland) for an in-store pop-up. Even though we’ve now done pop-ups numerous times inside My Big Finds, it’s always a welcome experience to meet up with faces both familiar and new. It’s also delightful to hear all about who our customers are shopping for — whether for a mother, a friend, a neighbor recovering from illness, an engagement party, or just a little self-care!
Phil and I Tied the Knot!
Last month, Phil and I got married! While stressful at times, I think our wedding turned out perfectly. We both adore Wes Anderson’s films, so our wedding was Wes-Anderson-inspired. We asked guests to dress in vintage/retro outfits in bright colors, and we used retro decor like paperboard suitcases to adorn our tables. We especially loved how our lemon cake (made by Momma Millies Bakery) turned out, with the hand-carved wooden fox toppers, and the adorable ceramic foxes my father-in-law made us. It was an absolute blast celebrating with all our family and friends. Definitely a lot of fun!
Arrow Studio & Events
A special thanks to Arrow Studio & Events of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, for helping us bring our Wes-Anderson-inspired vision to life. The venue is a beautiful historic building with wonderful arched windows at the front. And we were able to have everything (the ceremony and reception) all in one space.
The Maid's Quarters Bed, Breakfast & Tearoom
A special thanks to The Maid’s Quarters in Pottsville. Phil and I always stay at this cozy bed and breakfast every time we’re in town. We love waking up to their delicious teas and breakfast selections. Plus they even carry our chocolate bars atop their mantlepiece!
Brigham Minnich, Blue Mountain Studios LLC
A very special thanks to Brigham of Blue Mountain Studios. He really went above and beyond my expectations of a wedding photographer. Just a really polite, enthusiastic, and creative guy. I can’t recommend him enough. And I can’t wait to see the final photos!
Irene’s Painting at Andra Norris Gallery
As you may know, my mom (Irene) is an accomplished abstract painter of the color field painting tradition (irenezweigart.com). Her work was recently featured in an exhibit called INTERVALS at Andra Norris Gallery (andranorrisgallery.com) in Burlingame, California (outside of San Francisco).
Click here to check out an awesome Facebook Reel of Irene’s paintings!
A Taste of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and Other Literary Classics
You can now listen to us (Geri & Irene) being interviewed by the Boston Sisters — Michon and Taquiena — on their podcast, Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters.
“The Boston Sisters talk with Geri Gallas, founder & owner (daughter), and Irene Zweig, invaluable assistant (mom) of Open Book Chocolates, a woman-owned, daughter-mother, bean-to-bar chocolate operation inspired by classical literature. like Alexandre Dumas's "The Count of Monte Cristo," and Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables." This bonus podcast is a combination foodie and book talk (from page to screen) highlighting the Monte Cristo bar, flavored with porcini mushrooms and peach extract, inspired by Dumas' novel. Geri and Irene also reveal author wish lists, and future flavors for which are available online and at select bookstores.”
To listen to the podcast, please click the button below:
Our Packaging Transformed into Book Art
Sometimes, Open Book Chocolates fans send us cool stuff via snail mail! Local artist Judy Folkenberg sent us a handmade art book she created using some of our packaging/envelopes. So we thought we’d share it here. You can find more of her work on judyfolkenberg.com. Thank you, Judy!
Surprise for Our 1,000th Customer! 🥳
As I’ve mentioned in previous Substack articles, we sent a little surprise for our 1,000th customer of our online store. We included a complimentary “Read Books, Eat Chocolates” pouch, “Read Books, Eat Chocolates” wooden pin, and brand-new Open Book Chocolates bandana!
Our “Read Book, Eat Chocolates” pouch has a silkscreened design and is made of eco-friendly, 100% recycled cotton canvas. You can fit up to 4 Open Book Chocolates bars in the pouch, as well as your literary-inspired accessories (bookmarks, enamel pins, pens, pencils, etc.). This is one of our last pouches in stock! But we’re planning on making more with a brand-new design, which will hopefully become available to customers a bit later this year.
Our “Read Book, Eat Chocolates” 1.5-inch, full-color, wooden pin is made in the USA in collaboration with The Wooden Pin (thewoodenpin.com). It has two pin posts with metal butterfly clasps and made of solid cherry wood. The Wooden Pin uses sustainable and eco-friendly materials.
I had a few bandanas printed via Printful (printful.com) as an experiment. For these bandanas, I created a design using all the wonderful book illustrations I’ve used on the packaging of our current flavors. I might consider ordering more of these bandanas in the future, since they came out really well. It definitely makes a fun fashion statement!
Upcoming Events
Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events May through August:
Saturday, May 30th: Book and Bar: Gourmet Chocolate Tasting at Finist and the Owl Bookstore in Wilmington, Delaware.
Saturday, June 6th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
If you’re local to Delaware, Maryland, or Pennsylvania, we hope to see you there!
Please visit our events page for more details:
Upcoming Holidays
Open Book Chocolates might just be the perfect gift for these upcoming holidays:
Sunday, June 21st: Father’s Day.
May through June: Graduations.
It certainly has been a busy few months for us here at Open Book Chocolates. Thanks again for all your support! 📖🍫💖
See you next time!
Best regards,
Geri
Open Book Chocolates