EAST VILLAGE — Bond Street Chocolate has left its 63 E. 4th St. storefront after nearly eight years due to a rent hike, but the chocolatier will continue to pedal the handcrafted candies out of a new kitchen in the near future.
The chocolate shop had to clear out on April 30 after a property tax increase and a rent increase made the space unaffordable, said owner Lynda Stern, who lamented the loss of the space.
But the closure, first reported by EV Grieve, will not leave loyal customers and chocolate addicts deprived of the treats, said Stern.
“It’s a bummer but I am still making chocolate for my wholesale customers and for some of my customers that have a chocolate addiction emergency and need a fix,” said Stern in an email.
Stern is still selling the remaining chocolates from the store’s stock to customers who reach out to her via email, posted on the shuttered shop’s door after the closure.
But starting next week, Stern will take over a commercial kitchen on West 23rd Street, where she will continue to produce her handcrafted chocolate bonbons and bars.
The shop is known for its “divine collection” — dark chocolate figurines of religious figures such as Jesus, Buddha, and Moses, all dusted in 24 carat gold. The collection led to some controversy last year, when the Universal Society of Hinduism criticized the shop for producing an edible figure of the Hindu god Ganesh.
Those wishing to place an order from Bond Street Chocolate can email Stern at info@bondstchocolate.com.
