Maggie Louise Confections launched as an online-only retailer of gourmet chocolates, and within a year and a half, business had skyrocketed. Quickly outgrowing its rented kitchen space, the logical next step for the flourishing chocolate atelier was to open a retail storefront. A design team from McKinney York Architects of Austin, TX, worked with the company to transform a building shell into a chic and functional establishment – complete with a full commercial kitchen, office and retail space.
Behind the scenes, the kitchen prioritizes flexibility, allowing equipment and configurations to change with the client’s needs. In the retail area, the scrumptious chocolates are displayed in a bespoke glass-top table. A canted mirror and wall aim to tantalize passersby -- reflecting a view of the table through the storefront -- while jewelry store-inspired shadow box displays bring seasonal chocolate vignettes to the sidewalk edge. Experienced both in-person and online, the space provides an elegant context befitting the candies and amplifying the Maggie Louise Confections brand, according to the design team.