When Evane Stoner was a kid, her dad, Mark, would bring gifts back home from his travels: fudge from Gatlinburg or saltwater taffy from Maryland. As adults, they’d work visits to candy shops into their vacation plans. “All our teeth are sweet,” is their family mantra. So now the father-daughter team has turned their collective sweet teeth into a business.
In time for Valentine’s Day, Easter, and my birthday (if you’re buying, I’m a size Everything But the Bagel chocolate bar) they’ve opened Poppy & Peep, a chocolate microfactory and retail shop selling hand-painted bonbons, bean-to-bar chocolate bars, and caramels.
In the past Evane, who also works as a photographer, makes jewelry, and manages Airbnbs (more on that below), sold chocolate in kiosks in shopping malls, and it while in that job she started thinking about how chocolate was made and learning about ingredients and processes. She went to gift trade shows and learned the industry, and her dad agreed with her that there was opportunity.
The two looked at purchasing a chocolate franchise (Mark is an entrepreneur and owner of Ashbusters Chimney Service, and has experience with multi-location companies.) But Evane was captivated by the bean-to-bar processes, and being able to get her hands on every stage of production.
They spent three years taking chocolate-making classes, attending conferences, and practicing tempering. Poppy & Peep, which is near The Fairgrounds Nashville, had a soft launch late last year, first primarily selling corporate gifts. The tiny retail shop opened to the public last week.
Good things come in small packages, so it’s OK that the shop is small. (We’re talking 10-by-3 feet.) There’s no seating, everything is grab-and-go, including sipping chocolate perfect for winter weather. If you live or work nearby, keep your eye out for “test batch” signs. When something is delicious, but not pretty enough to sell, they give it to neighbors for free.
Without preservatives Poppy & Peep chocolates have a short-shelf: Eat the bonbons within 10 days of purchase. (Caramels and chocolate bars will last a little longer.) The brightly colored bonbons, painted by Evane’s hand, are priced by the box, $20 to $72; bars are $8 to $13, and caramels come in a fun fill-your-own tube for $6 (about $1 each). Chocolate bars have dehydrated fruits and other fun additions (like the Everything But the Bagel spice).
The duo also owns two chocolate-themed Airbnbs, Cocoa Casa next door to the shop, and Coco Casita, downtown. The decor is chocolate-themed, but thanks to Evane’s artistic eye, they include hand-painted murals of chocolate harvesting, framed vintage chocolate wrappers, and cacao pods and botanic prints in a presentation that is artful, not cheesy. The team plans to start chocolate-making tours later in the year.
It can be challenging to work with your dad, Evane concedes. “He cares about function, and I care about aesthetics. We get into this initial stage of bumping heads, but eventually, we realize we are both right.”
Check out the Stoners’ work, because it’s Valentine’s Day, or because you support new local businesses, or just because you’ve given up on your no-sugar New Year’s resolution. Poppy & Peep is located at 374 Herron Drive, Unit 6. Hours are noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturdays.
