Order Fulfillment Update
As I’ve mentioned in previous Substack posts, River-Sea Chocolates (who helps us make our chocolate bars) has offered to help us with order fulfillment going forward. This is extremely generous of them, and will be be extremely helpful to us.
Currently, the plan is that River-Sea will help us fulfill our retail orders from our online store. We’ll still fulfill our wholesale orders at Open Book Chocolates headquarters.
Additionally, for our September Kickstarter campaign, it’s possible that River-Sea will help us fulfill rewards depending upon how many backers there are. Potentially, we might split Kickstarter reward fulfillment 50/50.
A few weeks ago, we sat down with the absolutely amazing Sarah at River-Sea Chocolates in Reston, Virginia. We ironed out all the order fulfillment details with her. She has so many brilliant ideas that we would never think of ourselves. Going forward, our retail orders are in good hands!
PRELAUNCH: Two New Flavors & Upcoming Kickstarter
Our upcoming Kickstarter campaign is almost ready to launch!
Every year, we use Kickstarter as a way to fund our newest flavors, and for backers/customers/fans to be first in line to essentially preorder these flavors.
Currently, we’re planning on launching this year’s Kickstarter on September 1st for our two newest flavors. Every year, our goal is to send out Kickstarter rewards (i.e. chocolate bars) to backers well before December 25th.
In our June Substack post, we shared a few hints as to our two newest flavors. Here are the answers!
HINT/ANSWERS:
Flavor No. 1: When translated into English, the page count for this classic piece of literature has anywhere from just over 300 pages to as many as 600. This work was first translated into English in the 16th century. It’s been adapted and reimagined hundreds (if not thousands) of times.
ANSWER = THE ODYSSEY: Olive Oil and Rosemary in Dark Chocolate.
Flavor No. 2: This novella utilizes a frame story and an anonymous protagonist. The story is a social commentary on the time period contemporary to when this work was first published. Some elements of the plot are inspired by the author’s own personal and childhood experiences — his family having spent most of their time in a dark, basement kitchen.
ANSWER = THE TIME MACHINE: Hibiscus and Jasmine in Milk Chocolate.
We hope you’re as excited for The Odyssey and The Time Machine chocolate bars as we are.
Please click the button below to visit our Kickstarter 2026 Pre-Launch Page:
🔔 CLICK “NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH” TO BE FIRST IN LINE!
🚀 LAUNCHING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2026.
Recently Restocked
Our chocolate bars have been recently restocked at the following stores:
Tiger Moth Mercantile: 17 E Main St, Carnegie, PA 15106.
Líf Books: 18 North Rd Unit 1b, Bedford, MA 01730.
Avant Garden Bookstore: 215 E Main St, Anoka, MN 55303.
Books on Main: 301 Main St, Friendship, WI 53934.
Knight’s Nook: 401 W Main St, Yukon, OK 73099.
J Anderson's Books: 96 Chatsworth Ave, Larchmont, NY 10538.
Paragraphs Bookstore: 229 S Main St, Mt Vernon, OH 43050.
The Rock Shop: 18109 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430.
Chocolate bars are on their way (in transit or order prep in progress) to the following stores:
Elling Bank Book & Coffee Co.: 201 W Wallace St, Virginia City, MT 59755.
NOFO @ The Pig Cafe: 2014 Fairview Rd, Raleigh, NC 27608.
Commonplace Reader: 49 S Main St, Yardley, PA 19067.
Wonderland Books: 7920 Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814.
New Merch Preview
Our new-and-improved pouches and brand-new bandanas from Alchemy Merch (alchemymerch.com) have finally arrived at Open Book Chocolates headquarters!
We’re so excited that both the pouches and bandanas turned out beautifully. 🥳
Our new-and-improved pouches are full-color, heavyweight material with one design on the front and another design on the back. You can fit five (5) chocolate bars in a pouch, as well as your literary-inspired accessories (bookmarks, enamel pins, pens, pencils, etc.).
Our brand-new bandanas are 22 by 22 inches, full-color, and made of 100% cotton poplin. They will come packaged with a belly band.
Both pouches and bandanas will become available as Kickstarter add-ons for all reward tiers.
New Envelopes/Packaging
Recently, I placed a new, big order with our printers. These new envelopes will be made of very slightly thinner paper.
This past January, I ordered this same thinner paper, but the printers accidentally used the old, thicker paper. I didn’t want these envelopes to go to waste, since there’s nothing terribly wrong with them, so we’ve been using them up.
Why switch to this thinner paper? Those familiar with our previous Kickstarter campaigns know we are always adjusting and improving our packaging. Our current packaging has a seam on one side as well as a top flap and a bottom flap. We always have problems with the seams and flaps popping open. We’re always careful to make sure our chocolate bars are hermetically sealed in plastic bins, and we always fix or repackage envelopes that have popped open. This new, thinner paper should help decrease this problem!
Plus, with the new paper, the envelopes takes up less room in storage.
Heavy Are The Years: Illustrated Story Collection
Open Book Chocolates is working with Bonedust Press (bonedustpress.com) and WildStar Press (wildstarpress.com) on their new illustrated story collection, Heavy Are The Years. We’re collaborating with these two small presses on a custom, limited-edition chocolate bar for their upcoming Kickstarter campaign.
“Time is a constant, ever-present cycle, but what does that mean for a long-forgotten god, a world ravaged by climate disaster, or a person trapped in a time loop? Time changes everything, and these stories explore what remains, what we cling to, and what we embrace.
Heavy Are The Years is a collection of three lushly illustrated novellas in a single book that invites you into these worlds to explore what time, and everything it leaves in its wake, really means to each of us.
This project is a collaboration between Bonedust Press and Wildstar Press to encourage new stories and support within the small press community for everyone.”
Furthermore, the contributors for Heavy Are The Years were recently announced:
“We at Bonedust Press and WildStar Press were blown away by the enthusiasm for our first Stardust submission period! With over 200 amazing submissions, it was tough to narrow it down.
🌟We’re delighted to announce our contributors for Heavy Are The Years!!🌟”
Riotbones: riotbones.com.
K.C. Pickelsimer.
Jade Zhang: jadezhang.art.
A.A. Ademola.
Angela Hsieh: linktr.ee/angelahsieh.
Andrew Belindo.
Carey Pietsch: careydraws.com.
The Kickstarter campaign for Heavy Are The Years will launch on August 17th.
Please follow Bonedust Press on Kickstarter to receive updates on this project:
New Mexico Honeymoon Recap
During the final week of June, Phil and I spent our honeymoon in New Mexico! We drove around the desert and spent time in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Alamogordo, and Roswell.
My Favorite Highlights:
(In Chronological Order)
All the delicious food at Sawmill Market (1909 Bellamah Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104).
Retro vibes and neon signs at the renovated Monterey Motel (2402 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87104).
Fruit & Cream Waffle (buttermilk Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and bananas; topped with sweet Bavarian cream) at Smothered Brunch Central (1828 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87104).
Cacti of all shapes and sizes at ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden (2601 Central Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104). Also, Cookies ‘n Cream Dippin’ Dots on a hot day.
All the adorable penguins swimming underwater at ABQ BioPark Zoo (903 10th St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102). I could have watched them for hours!
Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino (20 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87506). I especially enjoyed the beautiful indigenous art throughout the resort, the indoor swimming pool and hot tub, and the couple’s massage at Wo' P'in Spa.
House-made granola with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit; and a strawberry cream cheese croissant at Cafe Fina (624 Old Las Vegas Hwy, Santa Fe, NM 87505).
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505).
Above the Clouds I at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (217 Johnson St, Santa Fe, NM 87501).
The naturally-formed Camel Rock (285 Frontage, Camel Rock, Santa Fe, NM 87506).
Giant sopaipilla at Tomasita's (500 S Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501).
Mexican chocolate ice cream at La Lecheria (500 Market St, Santa Fe, NM 87501).
The friendly and enthusiastic staff at Beastly Books (418 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501).
Riding through the desert, munching on Sweet Santa Fe Caramel Corn Prickly Pear Cactus Blossom, and watching the sun set on the Sky Railway (430 W Manhattan Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501).
Beautiful clouds and landscapes driving through the desert from Santa Fe to Alamogordo; then from Alamogordo to Roswell; then from Roswell to Albuquerque.
White Sands National Park (19955 US-70 W, Alamogordo, NM 88310).
Schnitzel, spaetzle, and hefeweissbier at Oppenheimer Gasthaus (902 N New York Ave, Alamogordo, NM 88310).
The World’s Largest Pistachio and delicious pistachio ice cream at PistachioLand (7320 Hwy 54 70, Alamogordo, NM 88310).
Bang for your buck at B & J Hotel (2801 N Kentucky Ave, Roswell, NM 88201). Newly renovated, friendly staff, and complimentary laundry machines.
Calamari, manicotti bolognese, and tiramisu at Pasta Cafe Italian Bistro (1208 N Main St, Roswell, NM 88201).
Peach cobbler shaved ice with cinnamon and condensed milk at Bahama Buck's (107 E Mescalero Rd, Roswell, NM 88201).
Petroglyph National Monument (Western Trail NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120).
Upcoming Events
Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events August through November:
Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Saturday, November 7th through Sunday, November 8th: DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival in Boyds, Maryland.
Saturday, November 14th through Sunday, November 15th: DMV Chocolates & Coffee Festival in Sterling, Virginia.
Friday, November 27th through Sunday, November 29th: Maryland Christmas Show in Frederick, Maryland.
We will be announcing additional events (September through December) as soon as more information becomes available.
If you’re local to Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Virginia, we hope to see you there!
Please visit our events page for more details:
Please stay cool and hydrated this summer! 😎 🧊 🍹
See you next time!
Best regards,
Geri
Open Book Chocolates
Wonderful update! So busy and so much to look forward to!