Fran's Chocolates to open shop in Four Seasons Hotel

Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Seattle has chosen local culinary icon Fran's Chocolates for one of two retail spaces in the 21-story building, opening late this summer.

"Fran's is all about quality, personalized service and luxury, like the Four Seasons Hotel and residences will be," said John Oppenheimer, managing partner of Seattle Hotel Group, which is developing the property. He said they're not ready to announce the second retailer.

It will be the first downtown Seattle store for Fran's, which has shops in downtown Bellevue and University Village. The 1,100-square-foot location at First Avenue and Union Street will have entrances on the street and in the Four Seasons lobby.

Fran's is working on the design now, aiming for a classic Parisian-style chocolate shop with a contemporary look.

It will serve Fran's usual array of chocolates, espresso drinks and hot chocolate.

The downtown store will sell bottles of port to pair with the chocolates, and founder Fran Bigelow plans to offer small, elegant desserts from her 2004 book, "Pure Chocolate," that have not been sold by her shops since the original Madison Valley store closed in 1999.

Bigelow founded the chocolate company in 1982, when it was hard to find great chocolate in the United States. That changed in the 1990s after chocolatiers realized that the American palate could handle less-sweet, more-sophisticated flavors.

The competition has been good for Fran's.

"When I first started, people wanted to know why they had to pay more for good chocolate," Bigelow said. "Now they get the price."

Fran's Chocolates are available at Whole Foods and other high-end grocery and specialty food stores nationwide. About half of sales come from the Pacific Northwest, but Bigelow does not disclose figures.

The chocolates are handmade in a one-story brick building at Pike Street and 13th Avenue. The company employs 42 people, including Bigelow's daughter Andrina, who has an MBA from Cornell University and is the company's chief executive. Bigelow's son, Dylan, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley; he oversees production and helps his mother develop recipes.

Fran's is known for truffles, but its most popular item is a chocolate-covered caramel topped with sea salt — $22 for 15 pieces.

Her personal favorite? "The bittersweet truffle. There's something about the melt-in-your-mouth taste. I have to have a caramel, too. And the almonds in milk chocolate, there's something about that."

— Melissa Allison

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Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com.