Lexington coffee shop known for drinkable chocolate is reopening. Here’s when.
A Lexington coffee shop that announced plans to close has gotten a reprieve.
Chocolate Holler, which closed on Dec. 23 after six years, will be reopening under new ownership, according to social media posts.
The downtown Lexington business on Old Vine posted on Dec. 26 on Instagram: “We’ll be Sticking Around!”
According to the post, Chocolate Holler will be reopening in the first week of January, likely with expanded hours.
Former owner Salvador Sanchez did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sanchez opened the chocolate shop as an offshoot of his nearby Cup of Common Wealth coffee shop.
Sanchez announced on Dec. 1 that the shop, known for its “drinkable chocolate” as well as pastries and chocolate treats, would close.
“After careful consideration and much thought, we’ve decided to end this chapter of Chocolate Holler,” owner Salvador Sanchez wrote. “We didn’t make this decision lightly. ... As of now, we plan to stay open until Christmas.”
Jeff and Heather Riddle of Lexington saw that post and had a lightbulb moment.
“We had been, over the past year, wanting to start a local business and we’re coffee lovers,” Jeff Riddle said Friday morning. “Then we saw Sal’s Facebook post and we just looked at each other ... and one thing led to another.”
Now the Riddles are owners of Chocolate Holler and are working to put their spin on it, with plans to add hours and new items. Riddle said they hope to be open for lunch daily and to add some lunch items to the menu.
They aren’t changing the name. “It will definitely be called Chocolate Holler,” he said.
They’ve been encouraged by the reception online to the news that the business will be coming back.
“We were fans of Chocolate Holler and so far the social media response has been pretty good,” he said.
This story was originally published December 29, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
