Kilwin's chocolate shop closes

| The State News Former Kilwin's worker Brian Green sits outside of the now closed shop at 403 E. Grand River Ave. Green worked at Kilwin"s since it came to Grand River Avenue in many different positions at the store. The chocolate shop shut down Dec. 31.

Students craving sugary treats now have one less place to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Kilwin's, 403 E. Grand River Ave., closed its doors Dec. 31.

The chocolate and ice cream specialty shop, owned by Mel and Lisa Burke, opened in December 1999.

Mel Burke said he had been debating the close for about two months, but knew it would occur by the start of this year.

"Since August, our traffic flow has been down about 50 percent," he said. "Our customer base dropped off, and it was not profitable to stay open."

Kilwin's, which had such specialty items as caramel corn and hand-dipped chocolate products, was part of the franchise started in 1947 by Don and Katy Kilwin in Petoskey.

The chain has 46 locations in eight states, including Colorado, Florida, New York and North Carolina.

Burke says regular Kilwin's shoppers may have been deterred by recent construction along Grand River Avenue.

"When East Lansing went through its transformation and upgrading and rebuilding, there was a lot of construction," he said. "Shoppers are accustomed to going to one store. If it isn't there, they go somewhere else to find service."

He also pointed to tuition increases for MSU students and other stores as other contributing factors for the closing.

"Students didn't have expendable funds," Burke said. "Eastwood Towne Center has more stores that cater to East Lansing residents. We've also seen a significant trend change when Jacobson's left town."

Barnes & Noble Booksellers moved into Jacobson's old location at 333 E. Grand River Ave. near Kilwin's in October 2001.

Burke said city residents will miss more than just chocolate with the shop's closing - Kilwin's has sponsored or contributed to more than 700 community events during its operation.

"We enjoyed being in East Lansing. The community is going to miss us just as much as we are going to miss them," he said. "The folks we encountered were wonderful. But, the bottom line is, we're in the business to make money. It's not profitable to stay open on friendship."

Tim Beemer, general manager of Cold Stone Creamery, 200 M.A.C. Ave., said he was surprised at Kilwin's closing.

"East Lansing is a good place for us," Beemer said. "We've been open since July, and we've been successful every month since then.

"We wouldn't have invested all that we have here if we didn't think it was worthwhile."

Although Cold Stone is thriving, Kilwin's is the latest in a line of stores shutting their doors and leaving East Lansing.

Sparty's Coney Island, 1127 E. Grand River Ave., and Bagel-Fragel, 527 E. Grand River Ave., closed in May 2001. Jacobson's left and resurfaced in Meridian Mall in October 2000 - but the chain went out of business last year.

City Manager Ted Staton said he does not believe the closing of smaller businesses in East Lansing indicates a difficult market to profit in.

"The days are gone when a business can make money somewhere just because it is a college town," he said.

Labor relations and human resources graduate student Amanda Wade believes there is a place for stores such as Kilwin's on East Lansing's streets.

"There are diverse interests here, and a lot of people looking for different things. It's nice to see something unique," she said. "(Kilwin's) differentiated themselves from other stores. A lot of blood, sweat and tears probably went into their production process."

Interdisciplinary humanities junior Nichole Dassance regrets not sampling the store's treats before it closed shop.

"My friends and I would always see a store like Kilwin's on Grand River and say 'We should go there,' but never did," she said.