By Stephanie Vaccaro, Staff Writer
Pattie Robinson has spent her weekends for the past two years learning the family trade at Robinson’s Fine Candies.
For more than 30 years, the Robinson family has been making chocolate in Montgomery. As they gradually pass the torch from one generation to the next, Ms. Robinson has ushered in a wave of new ideas. Among them has been the introduction of branding in the form of a logo design, giving the shop a facelift while retaining its trademark royal blue and launching their new website, which allows the consumer to purchase customized boxes online.
”The biggest change has really been this year,” she said. “We brought in coffee cappuccinos, espressos all with our own private roaster that we work with.”
”I wanted the same high quality,” she said. “Everybody is used to the high quality and the high standards.”
In the winter, they created their own recipe for hot chocolate, using their chocolate. They’re looking to incorporate the liquid chocolate with their coffee drinks, and they’re working on a caramel recipe as well. They’re also making a pomegranate cream chocolate and a wine-infused chocolate.
And she’s also started offering birthday parties in the store.
When customers come in, they say whoa, everything has changed. But Ms. Robinson says, but it’s still the same great chocolate.
”Just the last couple of years, I’ve just never realized what a part of the community this store was,” she said.
Many people, even after leaving the area, will stop in when they come back and are happy to find the store still up and running.
”My grandfather was a candy-maker in the 20s,” said Ms. Robinson. “They didn’t even call it ‘chocolatiers’ then.”
He assisted with launching the chocolate production lines, getting the recipes right, making sure the chocolate was tempered correctly and ensuring all of those processes were up to par.
In 1978, her grandfather visited their home in Skillman, when it was a one-traffic-light town, and the children asked him what he did for a living. So, he made Irish potatoes, a St. Patrick’s Day treat made of coconut cream and cinnamon. It was then that her father learned that candy makers were on the decline in the country, she said.
”From there, my dad and my grandfather said, ‘wouldn’t it be fun to open our own shop together?’” said Ms. Robinson.
Within a short period of time, they found the present location in the Montgomery Shopping Center on Route 206.
”From day one, my mom ran the store and my dad learned from my grandfather how to make the different chocolates because my grandfather had all the recipes in his head,” said Ms. Robinson. “So my dad would slowly learn and write them down and my grandfather would teach my dad.”
The first day they opened, her mother, Nancy, didn’t think they’d be busy, but when they opened, there was a line to the end of the shopping center, waiting to get into the store.
Ms. Robinson and her two sisters have all worked in the store throughout high school and college.
”Now it’s gotten to the point where my parents are older, they want to retire what are we going to do?” said Ms. Robinson. “Do we want to sell the business or have somebody take over? So I said I would give it a shot.”
James Robinson Sr. came up every weekend for the first seven years to help his son with the store.
”He re-taught me,” said James Robinson Jr.
”So, now my dad’s teaching me,” said Ms. Robinson. “I have a lot more recipes to learn, but I’m in here learning every week,” said Ms. Robinson, who sells software during the week.
Among the highlights, she lists getting reconnected to the community, something that was harder to appreciate growing up.
”I love it,” she said. “Montgomery has changed so much. The population of Montgomery has tripled since I lived here. It’s just so nice that people I grew up with are bringing their kids in.”
Ms. Robinson hopes to just keep the tradition going and to build the business, potentially opening a few more shops. The Internet opens a tremendous opportunity to increase our sales, without the need for the brick and mortar, she said.
They feature an array of specialty items throughout the year and have plans to make fudge and frozen hot chocolate in the summer. She’s found that a part of their appeal is that people want to buy locally.
Everything in the store is custom, she said. So boxes can be filled according to taste. Customers will come and say they are going to a particular friend’s home and ask what they like. They keep a registry of people’s favorites, which helps to alleviate some of the Valentine Day stress of selecting chocolate, particularly for husbands.
”We pull the chocolate registry,” she said, “and it’s exactly what they like.”
Ms. Robinson chose a fitting motto for the business that seems to encapsulate its 30 plus years: happiness is still homemade.
For more information, see www.robinsonschocolates.com.
