As a part of downtown Brookings’ Frost Fest, participating businesses hosted customers starting at 10 a.m. for the annual Chocolate Crawl on Saturday. Twenty-five different downtown locations had a form of chocolate available to customers, 15 of which were giving their chocolate treats away for free.
After suffering losses from the recent fire that burnt down Brost’s Fashions, the Chocolate Crawl looked a little different this year for some locations.
However, one aspect of the event remained the same: the ice sculpture. During the two days before the Chocolate Crawl, two men worked to carve an ice sculpture next to Nick’s Hamburger Shop. The sculpture was available for viewing and taking pictures all day on Saturday.
A Kool Beans Coffee and Roasterie employee reported having a lot of business on Saturday morning as they were sampling their chocolate-covered espresso beans. With the purchase of a drink, customers could also enter a giveaway to win a variety pack of chocolate bars.
After having to temporarily relocate the store due to fire damage, Emerald Grace Clothing Company also reported having a busy Saturday. The clothing store had an assortment of chocolate treats available to customers as well as some water to wash them down.
This year’s Chocolate Crawl was also out of the ordinary for The Nook, a bookstore that was in the same building as Emerald Grace Clothing Company at 314 Main Ave. The Nook has a temporary pop-up shop inside of Pasque, another store on Main Avenue.
Brooklyn Fredrickson, an employee at The Nook, said the store will be inside of Pasque for six more months. On Saturday both Pasque and The Nook hosted many customers and were offering pink, heart-shaped chocolates made by Choco Latte, a coffee shop in Brookings.
Meraki Threads & Design, a shop that opened just after Black Friday last year, participated in its first Chocolate Crawl on Saturday.
Meraki is located at 411 4th St. and offers chocolate cupcakes with espresso buttercream as well as a hot chocolate bar. Upon store entry customers were also allowed to gain a discount on their purchase by choosing a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss with a color on the bottom, determining the discount percentage.
Bruce Bartels • Mar 14, 2025 at 8:16 am
Hi, Ryann: I found you. Smiling proudly!
Love Always,
Bapa