Inside Chocolates by Kelly

Kelly Wombold, owner of Chocolates by Kelly on 414 W. Broad St., describes owning a small business in Richmond as “hectic, tough (and) not for the faint of heart.”

Wombold said she was faced with a lot of pushback as she started the process of opening her business, but her persistence won out. Her business has been up-and-running for about eight years now, but Wombold only opened her current location four months ago.

“Along the way, there’s been a couple of key points that people have said that keep me moving forward,” Wombold said. “If you know you have a winning product then you can fix everything else that is going on. You have to maintain that product.”

On March 3, the shop will debut a local artist’s work and the public is invited to stop by, taste chocolate and talk to the artist. Chocolates by Kelly also recently introduced a new service: custom chocolate bars.

Any message can be put on the bars, and they are sold in packs as large as several hundred and as few as just one bar. Recent engravings have included statements like “wine makes you cute” and “you’re hot like a dumpster fire.”

Growing up, Wombold knew she wanted to own a candy store. Her dream to be a chocolatier started as early as six-years-old when she and her mother would visit her grandmother’s house in Philadelphia. Going to grandma’s house was more than freshly baked cookies for Wombold, it was gourmet chocolates and treats.

Wombold put her passion for chocolate in the past for a while as she got older, but after her grandmother passed away, it became a way to preserve her grandmother’s memory. Wombold and her mother visited Philadelphia and took classes that would eventually lead to going beyond the preservation of her grandmother’s memory and becoming Wombold’s life and passion.

Previously, Wombold’s shop was located at Westover Hills in the Southside. During those years, she said a lot of days consisted of her sitting in the shop without any customers. She said the only way to describe that is “disheartening,” but her efforts ultimately pulled through.

Her son, Josh, now works alongside his mother, and grew up watching her persevere even when business was at a stop. Compared to the small, shared space where they were previously located, Wombold said the new location allows them to offer classes and hold events.

“We really have the independence here to do whatever we need to,” Wombold said. “My very best advice would be to not underestimate the challenges.”

She added that her advice to people hoping to own a small business or become a chocolatier is that “both require patience and grit.”

Chocolate has been Wombold’s passion for a long time, but when she needs a break from so much sweetness she enjoys fixing things and learning more about the machinery she uses at work.

“I’m definitely one of those kids that want to take it apart and see what’s on the inside,” Wombold said. “I hope one day when I get time for a hobby I could build a car.”

Aside from repairing, Wombold said she has recently delved into painting. On one wall of the shop a local artist, Janine Matthews, is displayed for purchase, and on another wall hangs Wombold’s own work.

“I only started painting because I needed stuff on the walls,” Wombold said. “The place was bare. I thought, ‘well, I’ll give it a shot.’ Next thing you know I’ve got paintings.”

Wombold, a VCU alum, reminded current students to take a second look at the classes they take. She remembered the horrified looks on fellow students’ faces when she walked into an introduction to chemistry class.

“As a chocolatier chemistry is important to what we do,” Wombold said. “Math, measuring, calculating it’s all important to us. What I wanted most was to use what I do to bring together practical application with that field of study. So, students should remember to really think about what they can do with that knowledge and I think it helps with the learning process a lot.”

Emma Sue Sims, Contributing Writer