Bark Avenue Chocolates Brings Tasty Treats to Northville

Laurie Wooderson, proprietor of Bark Avenue Chocolates, followed her passion and turned her hobby into a successful business.

"I've been creating delicious Chocolate Bark for years (as a hobby) and many whom were the recipients at the Holidays ie; Doctors, DDS, Pastors etc. would say 'Just start the business, Laurie, you have a home-run here.'," she said. Now, she's making chocolates in Northville.

Recently, Wooderson submitted information about her business to Patch. If you have a business and want to participate in Patch's Small Business Shout Out you can fill out the form here.

How did your business come to be?: I've been creating delicious Chocolate Bark for years (as a hobby) and many whom were the recipient at the Holidays ie; Doctors, DDS, Pastors etc. would say "Just start the business, Laurie, You have a home-run here." After a long and successful career in the Travel Industry I left corporate America in Sep. 2012 and launched Bark Avenue Chocolates in Oct. 2012.

Why did you choose to locate to Northville?: My son encourages me to launch a eCommerce model however, I'm a Northville girl with 30+ years in this community that I love; thus, I worked out a partnership with Long's Kitchen and Bath showroom and we are located in the front kitchen. It is a brilliant partnership! I wanted to kick the tires and see how it was received in the community and I feel the Love. We are working on a Website that will allow customers the convenience of internet shopping and will have the Brick and Mortar presence year round at Long's - being there on Thurs. 10-7p, Fri. 10-6p and Sat. 9-3p.

What kind of services do you offer?: Custom Chocolate Bark with the WOW factor. Our number 1 seller is in our Gentleman line and consist of Dark Chocolate with Maple Covered Almonds and Bacon. Yes Bacon! It the sweet and savory combo that is hard to resist. You can be the creator of your Bark by selecting the flavor of Chocolate, and 2 Ingredients. We recently did a wedding where the Bride wanted S'more Bark and we made Milk Chocolate Bark with mini Marshmallows, Graham Cracker crumbs and a Dark Chocolate drizzle. Beautifully packaged in a small clear bag with a sticker that said, "S'more Love" with the bride and grooms name and dates. Clever, Custom and Affordable.

What's a fact about your business that most customers probably don't know?: The original name was going to be Park Avenue Chocolates and I even bought that domain name 3 years ago. When I got serious about starting the business I googled Park Avenue Chocolates and much to my surprise there was a company with that name that has been operating an E commerce business for a few years. Bummer! I had my heart set on that name. When speaking with my lawyer he encouraged me to select a different name as I would never win without a Trademark on the name. I was really disappointed however, it came to me that night that since I was going to concentrate on a line of Bark, why not call it Bark Avenue Chocolates. Clever! Thus, I immediately purchased the domain name and am working on a Trademark.

When was the business founded?: Oct. 2012

What do you want your business to be best known for?: Unique, elegant and delicious Chocolate.

What's your most popular product or service?: #1 Dark Chocolate with Maple Covered Almonds and Bacon. #2 Milk Chocolate with Caramel and Sea Salt. #3 White Chocolate with Roasted salted Cashews and Michigan Dried Cherries.