MAGNIFICENT MILE — The Wrigley Building will soon be connected to another kind of confection.
Ghirardelli Chocolate plans to open a 7,000-square-foot store on or near Memorial Day in the south tower of the landmarked Wrigley Building, 400-410 N. Michigan Ave., a company spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
The San Leandro, Calif.-based company's new shop will take up about 1,300 square feet of street-level space, including the plaza between the Wrigley Building's two towers. Upstairs, Ghirardelli plans a "dining room" with a chocolate fountain overlooking the Chicago River.
The dining room would serve only Ghirardelli desserts such as ice cream sundaes, Ghirardelli Director of Marketing Kym Hough said.
The chocolatier joins Walgreens, an art gallery, and an upcoming Peet's Coffee & Tea as retail tenants in the landmarked Boul Mich tower. Hough said Ghirardelli's flagship stores that include dining areas target locales with high tourism and foot traffic, using the company's Disneyland store as an example.
An existing Ghirardelli store at 830 N. Michigan Ave. will remain open, Hough said.
Ari Glass of Chicago-based Zeller Realty Group, which owns the Wrigley Building through a partnership, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hough said Ghirardelli expects to open the Wrigley Building store on Memorial Day, but possibly earlier.
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