This is a gem of a book. Two sisters bravely decide to open up a chocolate shop in Washington, DC after their father dies unexpectedly. They take us through setting up the shop, choosing which domestic and international chocolates to sell, and the type of customers they encounter. Every chapter made me want to run out and buy some new chocolate to try.

Two sisters born of immigrant parents decide (after their father passed away) what to use their inheritance for. Reading this book and how they started their chocolate shop makes you crave chocolate. Finding the right location to begin with and also with their Korean mother's help they open up the shop and become very succedssful.

This was more like a 4.5 stars... because of the ending (good ending - just written a little too dramatic). I also always want pictures in non-fiction works... and they didn't include any.But, this was such a good story about a chocolate shop - and I did crave good chocolate the entire time I read it - but fun story.

I enjoyed this quick read. It read like a Hallmark movie (nothing wrong with that) but was an entertaining non-fiction account of two young women realizing their dream.

Subtitle: The True Story of Two Sisters, Tons of Treats, and the Little Shop That CouldWhen their father died of a stroke while on vacation, the Park sisters were left adrift. They were in their twenties, and still living at home in suburban Virginia with their mother when they decided to use the inheritance their father had left them to open a boutique specializing in high-end chocolates. This is the story of that “little shop that could,” and of the bond between two sisters.It’s a charming mem...

As the book stated, it was a sweet story. I read about the book in our local newspaper in a Sunday review, and knew I had to read it. These two women knew nothing about small business, retail or chocolate (except that they liked it)! They beat all the odds (which were quite a few), and turned this into a successful business. Just the descriptions alone, of these heavenly morsals, were enough to send me scrambling to the internet to see if they are still in business. They are! So after my next do...

(3.5 stars) Two sisters receive a financial legacy after their father’s untimely death. Despite their inexperience in business, Frances and Ginger decide to open a chocolate shop in Washington, D.C. in the early 1980s. They chronicle their challenges in getting space, renovations, getting suppliers, and finding a customer base. The descriptions of some of the chocolates will make your mouth water, and the descriptions of some of the customers will make you laugh, The sisters grow and develop the...

Sweet true story of two Korean American sisters who open a candy shop in downtown Washington D.C. It starts slowly, but stay with this one as the sisters deal with all the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Their friendships, romances and especially their close relationship with their indomitable mother give this story it's heart and soul. I'm not a chocoholic. so it took staying power for me to make my way through the pages of prose describing all the different, decadent chocolates. Just readin...

I loved this! A beautiful, heartfelt memoir from two sisters who run a chocolate boutique about a mile away from me. It was fun to read about the first 25 years of their business (though now, by 2022, they’ve been in business for about 39 years, I think). They clearly love chocolate, and it was fun to hear about their lifelong dream to run this store. It was also really neat to hear their stories and descriptions of local DC neighborhoods and stores, since I know many of them. A delightful story...

This review is not from a current read. I read this about two years ago while working on LEARNING WITH CHOCOLATE. This book did not fit the needs for that book, but I fell in love with the Park Sisters, Frances & Ginger. They have so much passion for chocolate. Their dedication to their customers are impressive. Their story of sisterhood is amazing. One day I will reread the book and give it a better review.NOTE: Before COVID the little Chocolate Chocolate shop was still in operation.When winter...

A very likeable non-fiction about the store, Chocolate Chocolate, located in Washington, D.C. and the two sisters who own and run it. It is told from the view point of first time business owners with the ups and downs involved in running a small business. The book was a quick easy read.

I came across this book randomly on the "new book" shelf at my local library. I was drawn in by the adorable cover and pulled in even more once I read the inside of the cover and realized this was a book set in Washington, DC that had nothing to do with politics (YES and YES!). I've talked about how much I love books about my city of DC that aren't political. There is so much more to this city! I had never heard of Chocolate Chocolate before even though it's so very close to where I am. I'm fixi...

Chocolate Chocolate transports the reader back in a time most did not think of as simpler but the ingenious Park Sister, Frances and Ginger, manage to make the trip both compelling and gentle--like biting into one of the many friandises their enterprise has to offer. Particularly poignant are memories of a can-do deceased North Korean emigre father and his colorful surviving wife. Indeed, Chocolate x 2 is peppered with one colorful character after another that ride this often rollercoaster story...

Chocolate, Chocolate is a sweet, true story about two sisters who dream of opening a chocolate store in Washington D.C. When their father dies unexpectedly just as he is about to achieve his lifelong goals, Ginger and Frances are devastated. With the small savings he leaves them they work to realize their own goal of opening a sweets stop, but it turns out to be a little harder than they expect. First they must find the perfect, jewel box storefront, but the landlord turns out to be the Evil Emp...

I had never heard anything about this shop or the owners before picking up this book. It turned out to be a good read and an absolute celebration of chocolate. It's also an interesting look inside a small business for anyone who has ever dreamed of opening up their own shop. These sisters had a really rocky start, but in the end they were able to fulfill their dream. The book doesn't sugarcoat their struggles and it also addresses some tough subjects such as their father's death and both of thei...

Content warnings: Mentions of Korean war, mentions of poverty, lots of talk about food, slight slut shaming, mentions of sex, mentions of deathOk so I'm kind of a sucker for memoir type books. I really am. This book was no exception. I really enjoyed reading it. And it was really cool reading about their parent's struggles before they came to the U.S.So this book highlights the lives of two Korean American sisters on the East Coast and their struggle to open their own chocolate shop in the 1980s...

A pleasant read about a chocolate shop. After the death of their father, Ginger and Frances Park are a little adrift in life. But then they find the inspiration to open a chocolate shop in Metro Washington, DC. The book is a story of the store (Chocolate Chocolate), its origins, their customers, and some of the personal lives of the two sisters. Overall it's a pleasant read about a small, independently owned shop. Some of it is quite predictable. The store goes through tough times getting set up...

So far, it's an interesting true story about 2 women with no business experience who desire to own and operate a chocolate shop. I love anything about women who beat the odds. Still reading...Finished! I enjoyed it and admire the Park sisters' persistence to create their dream into a reality. It made me crave good chocolate and made me more aware of the process involved in making or ordering from large chocolatiers. (It even includes a recipe at the end to make one's own chocolates)Unfortunately...

I liked this. It's a quick read and it's full of descriptions of various yummy-sounding chocolate treats. The girls had setbacks and triumphs and it's all set in DC. The story of the beginning of the store was truly interesting because it's filled with "we found a public phone and called mom" kinds of things - funny how we forget what life was like before cell phones!The writing style was a little difficult to get used to - "Frances did..." and "Ginger did..." then it would move to "we did..." s...

A lovely true story of two sisters who start a little chocolate shop in Washington. Sounds fantastic, but it's not all 'song and dance'- they tell the truth. In fact they struggle à lot to keep thé business going. Days without customers, days with to many (&rude) customers (On Valentinesday), regulars with their Own nicknames (Kahlua lady), à battle with à terrible contractor. I love the fact that, no matter what happened, they keep positive and thank God - at least there's always enough chocola...