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East Village Chocolatier Bespoke is Closing

By DNAinfo Staff on May 9, 2011 8:14pm  | Updated on May 10, 2011 7:07am

Bespoke's pretzel-covered sea salted caramel chocolates.
Bespoke's pretzel-covered sea salted caramel chocolates.
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Flickr/xiaoyinli

By Meghan Keneally

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

EAST VILLAGE — Chocoholics in the East Village could be in for some withdrawl after this week, after Bespoke Chocolates announced it plans to close Thursday.

The store on Extra Place, a side alley off East 1st Street between Bowery and Second Avenue, was known for its pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels and cardamom-scented Turkish coffee truffles. It has been in place for 2 1/2 years.

Chef Rachel Zoe Insler, who owns the store along with her fiancé Gil Krakowsky announced the closure in an email posted on Facebook and sent to loyal customers. They didn't go into specifics, but said that "running a small business in Manhattan is very challenging."

Bespoke Chocolates in the East Village is closing.
Bespoke Chocolates in the East Village is closing.
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DNAinfo/Meghan Keneally

"We hope eventually to be able to come up with another way to share our chocolates with the public," said the email, signed by Insler and Krakowsky. "Our plans for the very immediate future, however, involve reflection, a glass of wine, and a lot of eye-drying."

Insler previously worked as the pastry chef at Union Square Café.

After selling out of stock on Mother’s Day, the store did not open on Monday. It will be open their normal hours, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week before closing its doors for good.

"We hope we've made you a little bit happier over the past few years," the email ends. "We know we've changed your opinion about wandering down unmarked alleys."